Finally Found You
by Callianassa
Summary: *Finale! Nov29 - Chibs has to say goodbye.* Nero's daughter Nina returns with new responsibilities. Can she fit back into Charming life and have the family she always wanted? Sequel to Family Ties and It Was Always You. Tig/Chibs/OC.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**

**I genuinely cannot believe I am here, starting Part Three of this Sons fanfic. I want to thank every single one of you for supporting me with your reads, reviews, follows and favourites. I love being a little part of your day and I want to thank you for being a big part of mine!**

**Most of you will be following us over, others of you will be joining us here - in which case, welcome! This is the story of Nero's daughter Nina. Her complicated relationship with Chibs and Tig is only going to get a whole chunk worse in this third and final segment, but will she finally make the decision she has been struggling with for years? And how will her new job affect that? **

**There is a lot of history - you can refer back to Family Ties and It Was Always You if you fancy it! - but I will try to explain what I can as we go. It's... messy, to say the least.**

**I'll start us off as a T but may jump to an M - we'll see, and I'll warn you if/when we do! **

**Well, enjoy! Update your bookmarks and do let me know how you're feeling about it all!**

**Sara ****x**

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><p>Chibs turned the gavel around and around in his hands as he looked at his table. Bobby nodded supportively, patting his hand on Chibs' arm. None of them took the decision lightly, it had taken months of conversation and persuasion and debate to get to this point. Tig was pulling a face, just like he always did, but the others seemed a little more relaxed by the proposition. Chibs sighed, resigned to the fact that they wanted to vote it.<p>

"Go on then." He looked to Bobby to start. "I know you'll say yes."

"Yay." Bobby looked at him with hope in his eyes. "We've all moved on, we're all stronger. This could be good, set a good example."

"Or a very bad one," Tig muttered spitefully. Bobby gave him a look.

"We're better men than that, brother," he said. Juice nodded and lifted his hand, he had always been a big believer in second chances.

"Yay."

Quinn, Rat and Snag all raised their hands in turn, and Tig grunted as it came to his turn.

"I don't think it's right, brother," he said coldly, staring at Bobby but Bobby was clearly adamant.

"It's been six years, Tiggy," he said persuasively. "He's been good, after that first few months he kept trying to help this club wherever he could. His punishment is done, if Jax wants to prospect again, I think we should let him and I will be his sponsor." He looked to Chibs. "We can make this better, and we need the hands on board." He looked beseechingly at Tig. "Give him a chance."

Tig huffed. "Yay. Just so I can see his pretty little blond face suck me off when I'm desperate," he added to justify himself. Happy grinned, there'd be all sorts of shit they'd be able to make Jax do to earn back his stripes.

"Yeah, let's do this."

Bobby had spent the whole night begging Chibs to let Jax have another go. He kept talking about profile, setting a good example and all that. Chibs wrinkled his nose and dropped the gavel down.

"Fine." It banged in the table. "Full twelve months, no cutting corners. He goes out this time, there'll be no Mayhem vote, it won't be a goddamn question." He motioned to Juice. "Go get him."

Juice bounced out of the room with his usual enthusiasm and returned with Jax in tow. Tig took great delight in snatching up a prospect jacket and throwing the heavy leather cut at Jax's face.

"Welcome to twelve months of hell, kid," he growled, giving him a fierce thump as he passed him on his way out to the bar.

"Here you go, Daddy." Little Emily was standing on a barstool behind the bar and offered Tig a cold bottle. She smiled at him proudly. "I got one all the way from the back so it's really cold."

Tig beamed at his daughter and pinched her chin in his fingers. "That's because you are an angel, baby. Thank you."

He bumped the cap off on the edge of the bar and flicked it off towards her. Emily caught it, wrapping her hand around it and waving it proudly. Tig pulled out a dollar and pushed it into her hand and watched as she proudly uncrumpled it to examine it before putting it away in her pocket. She started to lay the bottles out when Tig ruffled her hair to stop her.

"Don't worry, love. We got someone for that now." He whistled loudly. "Hey prospect, come and do your fucking job and serve us beer."

Jax jogged out and gave Emily a smile as she hopped down off the barstool and ran around to come and join her father. Tig hoisted her up on his hip, she was getting way too big to hold now but he still loved to cuddle her and spoil her in every single way he could. It was amazing how his little girl was already an enthusiastic nine year old, beautiful with the slightest touch of tan to her skin and crystal blue eyes that peered out from beneath her mess of dark curls. He swore every day she was more like her mother.

"You're getting too big for that now, aren't you, Em?" Juice teased as he came out. She wriggled against Tig to put her down and smiled at Juice shyly, trying to smooth her hair beneath her hand to look presentable for him. Tig chuckled.

"Back off, Juicy, she's too young for you," he said, hiding Emily behind his legs. Emily squealed in objection and darted across the club, throwing herself on the couch in a fit of giggles. Tig watched her and smiled as he took a long sip of his drink. He glanced up towards chapel to see Chibs and Bobby conferring with each other quietly. He waited for them to come out before cornering Chibs.

"Everything okay?" he asked. Chibs pushed his lower lip out and nodded.

"Aye. Irish in town, got a new contact on the ground they want us to meet." He motioned to Tig. "You, me, Hap. Should be enough, go and smile and play nice."

"Yeah, I'll put my best shirt on," Tig chuckled, motioning to his oil-stained top. "Think they went through duty free on their way over?"

Chibs laughed and slapped his back as they went to get more beers. He motioned over towards the sofa where Thomas was standing, staring at Emily as she chattered away at him animatedly.

"You should watch that," he suggested. "Boy that age, I dread the thought of someone like you at ten years old."

Tig looked at Emily and laughed. She seemed completely oblivious to the adoring look in Thomas' eyes. "Nah, she's okay. Romantic, like her Mom, she doesn't get it." He saw Chibs' lip twitch a little as he said it and Tig pulled a face. "Sorry. I mean, I know we don't talk about-"

"It's fine." Chibs forced an uncomfortable smile. He didn't want to think about it, Tig had managed to move on but Chibs, he just hadn't wanted to. He tried to change the subject instead. "Just, don't drink too much, I want things to be hunky dory for the Irish. Em," he called out. Emily abandoned Thomas in an instant and bounded over, running straight into Chibs' leg and wrapping her arms around his knee.

"Hey Mr Chibs," she smiled, fiddling with the chain on his pants as she looked up at him. "What's up?"

"You gonna run this show tonight, love?" he asked. "Keep an eye on everyone while me and your Da go do some work?"

She grinned proudly, she loved it when Chibs asked her to take charge. She promptly put her hands on her hips and posed. "Yes sir," she nodded. Tig laughed as she skipped off to tell Tommy of her task for the evening. Chibs nodded.

"That'll keep her busy." He gave Tig a smack across the back. "Let's go."

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><p>"Business as usual," Happy muttered as they pulled up outside the usual storage warehouse. It had been a while since the Irish had wanted some face-to-face contact and the last time hadn't ended well when Galen had made some inappropriate comment to Tig about Emily's welfare.<p>

There were a couple of cars already parked up, a good strong number of Irish guards there. Chibs frowned, he hadn't expected such a big escort for a new contact. He glanced at Tig and Tig nodded, they were armed, they'd be fine.

"Weapons?" One of the Irish stepped forward and looked at them expectantly. Chibs chuckled.

"You'll be so kind as to make introductions before thinking of disarming us," he chided in annoyance at the young guy. "Trust and all, this being an ongoing established relationship." He looked at the boy dismissively. "What are you? Sixteen?" He shook his head. "Just a kid. Where's our meet? I sure didn't drive all this way to see you."

The guard turned red, his ears flooding with heat. "This way," he said, motioning to the inside of the warehouse. "Alone," he added, nodding to Chibs. "The same's required of you."

Chibs snorted and looked around. "You think I'm going to go in there, unchecked and without backup?" He laughed and shook his head, but a gentle, familiar voice made him turn in an instant.

"Always so suspicious, Filip."

Chibs was sure his heart stopped, just for a moment. He stared, unable to disguise his gaze as anything but disbelief, as he saw Nina standing in the doorway. Her hair was pulled back into a slick, perfect ponytail, and her frame, slender as ever, was clad in the most fitted suit Chibs had ever seen. She gave him the smallest of smiles and held the door open.

"Don't make me wait any longer," she demanded. "There's plenty we need to catch up on."

Chibs almost fainted in his eagerness to get across the forecourt towards her. Tig was completely motionless as he stared at her, openmouthed, and Happy nodded approvingly as they watched Chibs slip into the warehouse behind her, and Nina shut the door.

The second it was closed, she felt herself relax a little. Before she could stop herself, she threw her arms around Chibs, holding him tight to her. Chibs could barely make his arms function as he wrapped them around her and squeezed her in disbelief, trying to check if she was real or some sort of hologram or ghost sent to taunt him. But she was there, there in the flesh, her eyelashes fluttering against his neck as she hugged him.

"Christ, you're alright." Chibs didn't want to let go of her, not even for a second as he gripped her tightly. "I thought... Jesus, Nina." He didn't even know what to say, his overwhelming relief that she was okay and that she was there overpowered his ability to even string a sentence together. "You're okay?"

She smiled as her hand stroked his cheek, her thumb working its way over the familiar scars on his face. "I'm fine, I'm absolutely fine." She leaned her forehead against his for a moment before stepping back. "I have a new job, I guess," she added with a laugh, motioning to her suit.

It took him a moment to realise what she meant before his eyes widened in confusion. "You?" Chibs paused. "You're the contact?" She nodded.

"Galen thought I'd be good. He's getting older, in line to join the Kings. He needed someone to start doing the long haul flights," she said softly. "I'll be based in Charming, at least for a while. Get things moving." She started to straighten out her jacket. "So I guess we have some business to do?"

Chibs didn't give a shit about business. He wanted nothing more than to take her home and talk her through every little detail he could think of from the past six years. "We can do that later."

"No, we should do it now. Things get more... complicated, later." She motioned behind her to a new set of containers. "New hardware, mostly handguns, a couple of subs. I thought you would want to test them out. I know Hap likes to play with those things." She pressed her lips together as she shifted the lid of the crate and showed Chibs the guns. He looked at them absently, not wanting to even think of that as he tried to take her in. "How's Emily?"

Chibs swallowed. "Nina, she's beautiful. You have to see her, she's..." He sighed as he stared at her, completely ignoring the guns as he gazed at her. "She's just like you."

"Strong genes, I guess." Nina's lip twitched, she so desperately wanted to tell Chibs but she choked back her need and tried to focus in the task at hand. She had to prove to Galen that they wouldn't distract her, it was the whole point of this damn trip. "Anyway, guns."

"We'll take whatever you want us to, Nina," Chibs said instantly. "Consider it a done deal, we'll make it work. Let's... let me take you home. Or the club, come see Emily. And Tig, he'll be desperate to see you." He couldn't stop himself from smiling as he took her in, his eyes roaming over her. The years had been good to her, she looked exactly the same, maybe a little tireder around the eyes but ultimately the same. "God, you look beautiful."

She blushed at that and kept her eyes down towards the ground. "Don't, Filip," she said. "I mean, thank you, but... it's not that easy any more."

Before she could say anything else, the sounds of a fight escalating outside caught their attention. She pulled away from Chibs quickly and strode out to see Tig railing against one of the Irish, desperately trying to get to her. On Nina's word, the guy let go and Tig gambolled straight into her, jumping on her with such enormous excitement that Nina couldn't help but laugh.

"Hey, Alex," she murmured as he possessively cuddled her against him. "I missed you too."

"I knew you'd be okay," he grinned excitedly. "I knew it. Jesus fuck, you look so good." His hands ran down her sides, along the silhouette of her tight curves. Chibs bit his tongue in annoyance, how Tig could be so bold frustrated him no end. "Come see Emmy. She'll be so happy."

"I can't, not tonight," Nina said. She motioned to Chibs. "Prez and I need to have a little meeting."

Chibs looked up in surprise. She hadn't mentioned that when they had been alone. Tig pouted but nodded slowly. "Tomorrow then. We'll go for breakfast. All of us," he said with a smile. "Please?"

Nina smiled a little and nodded. "Okay," she promised. "Breakfast." She motioned to Chibs. "Follow us, please."

She slipped into the car and set off immediately. Chibs mounted his bike and went behind her with Happy as an escort right up until the last mile. Nina turned off down a track to a little private house and Chibs followed dutifully.

"Here," she called out as they parked up. "It's just us in here."

Chibs noticed the guards hanging back from the house. There were two or three men on duty but they seemed far more relaxed now Nina was at home. She motioned for Chibs to follow her in and one final guard looked at her, waiting for dismissal.

"She's sleeping," he assured her. Nina nodded and smiled.

"Thank you," she said, giving the guy a gentle kiss on the cheek and shooing him out to join the rest. Chibs pulled a face for a moment and frowned as he waited for the door to close.

"You get a dog or something?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Nina laughed.

"Not quite." She beckoned him to follow her and nervously reached for his hand as she pulled him behind her through the corridor to the bedroom. Chibs swallowed, her fingers knotted with hers felt like electricity flowing through his hand. "Bit bigger a commitment."

She pushed the door open and Chibs looked in to see a little girl curled up asleep in bed. He felt his throat prickling as he saw her, she was snoring gently, hugging a pillow in absence of any company, and Nina smiled as she squeezed Chibs' arm.

"Natasha," she whispered. "Turned out you didn't leave me on by own in Belfast after all."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N - I can't help it, I'm just a massive softy for Chibs and Nina. Don't worry, that's not to say that Tig and Nina won't have their moment later... but for now, just enjoy :)**

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><p>Nina dumped another spoonful of sugar into Chibs' coffee and stirred it through as she put it on the table in front of him. He was staring at the wall blankly, he seemed completely disconnected with her and the house and the very world that they were in. His expression was empty, unreadable, and she tried to wave her hand in front of his eyes but got nothing. Instead, she simply rested her hand on his, worming her fingers in between his. Chibs accepted her grip without really realising. A daughter. He had a daughter.<p>

"She's a good girl," Nina ventured, not sure if he was listening but hoping that maybe some of the words might sink in. "Tall, like you, she's shooting up every time I blink, I swear. Got a little Irish twang to her voice, the American's not really been rubbing off on her." She tilted her head to one side, hoping the movement might engage his attention but it didn't. "She's five now, Filip. Green eyes like nothing you've ever seen before." She smiled to herself. "She has some of your little mannerisms. The little wonky smile of yours. Those eyes, when you want something." She let go of him to take a sip of her coffee and Chibs absently picked up his own and took a gulp. The sugar hit him hard and he shook himself from his slump.

"You should have told me."

Nina knew that. She nodded, her hair falling in her eyes now that she had let it down. She had abandoned her suit jacket to the back of the chair, her thin chiffon unbuttoned at the top as she relaxed into her evening routine. "I know. I wanted to, believe me." She turned her phone around in her hand, again and again and again, the rhythm keeping her calm. "I looked at every picture. Probably a hundred times a day," she murmured, waving the phone softly at him. "But I wasn't allowed, you have to understand. They wouldn't let me. They…" She trailed off. She couldn't tell Chibs that Galen had held a threat over Emily's head every single day for six years. "I had to keep my distance."

"This is different." Chibs was blunt as he looked at her. All of that time, wasted. Months and months of seeing his little girl growing up and it was all gone. "Does she know about me?"

Nina nodded. "I told her. Every day." She flicked open her phone and showed Chibs a picture she had on her screen. It was a photograph she had taken with him, he barely even remembered when, but it had been from better times. "Every damn day."

He could see that just saying it made her ache. Nina's heart hurt, it had for too long and she had thought that this would be so much easier than it was now. She shook her head as she dropped the phone on the table and pinched her nose between her fingertips.

"I didn't think it would be this long," she admitted quietly. "When he said he would train me, I thought it would be a few months. And then I was pregnant, and he didn't want me out in the field. Then it was all part time. I didn't want my daughter brought up by men she didn't know, that wasn't right. So I had to do whatever he needed when she was asleep, it made everything take so much longer." She laughed at herself. "Working Mom and all."

How she could be so calm with such monumental news, Chibs couldn't understand. To him, this was so new. The idea that this little girl, this part of him had been living a life without him, without ever even meeting him, was overwhelming. He tugged at the little patch of hair beneath his lower lip thoughtfully.

"Is that why you never contacted Emily?"

Nina felt the sting of his words much harder than he had intended. She bristled instantly. "Don't you dare," she said firmly. "I love both of those girls equally, Filip. You'll never understand how much I sacrificed for Emily, so don't you say a damn word." He stared at her, surprised by her outburst, and she blushed. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I love that little girl, but I did what I had to do."

Chibs sighed and downed the last of his coffee. He didn't want caffeine, he wanted alcohol. Fuck, right now he would have had something harder than that just to get his head around it. He went to fetch a cigarette from his pocket but Nina looked at him condescendingly and he just gripped the thing between his teeth instead of lighting it. Just the feeling of having it between his lips made him feel a little better. "She thinks you hate her," he muttered. "Thought that for years. Then she just… stopped." He looked her in the eye. "Stopped asking about you. Stopped worrying what you thought of her."

Nina hated knowing that. She nodded slowly. "I know. Tig, he's good with her?" Chibs was sure of that.

"Aye. Loves her more than anything." He rested his hands flat on the table, looking at his rings, flexing his fingers so they glinted gently in the light. "I'm not sure you coming back into her life is going to be as easy as you think, Nina."

She knew that already. She smiled a little. "Bringing a little sister probably won't help either," she said. She reached across the table and took Chibs' hand in hers. He didn't pull back like he wanted to, but squeezed her hand, caressing her fingers with his thumb. "I'll make it up to her, Filip. To you too. I want you to be here, for Tash, for…" She wanted to say 'for me' but she knew she couldn't. She couldn't be that selfish, it wasn't fair on anyone. "I don't expect this to be easy, not even a little. This whole thing's a goddamn mess." She wrinkled her nose. "But I want to do the work, to make it right."

Chibs looked at her for a long, long moment. How were they here, how were they sitting so close but feeling so far away from each other? He had spent every night thinking how he would sweep her up and promise her the world the second he got to her again, but now she was there, everything felt so… different.

"Ma?"

Nina was on her feet within a second and Chibs looked up to see Natasha peeking around the doorframe. She smiled at him politely, Nina was right, she had green eyes that sparkled like emeralds. Nina crouched down to her height and smoothed her hair with her hand. "Couldn't sleep, sweetheart?"

"It's too hot here," the little girl pouted. She was staring at Chibs and she lowered her voice as she whispered, "Is that Da?"

Chibs swallowed. Da. He hadn't heard that word for a long time and it made his heart feel warm. Nina couldn't help but smile shyly as she nodded. "Aye, yes, that's your Da. Do you want to say hello?" Before Chibs could even get a word out, Natasha had run across to him and thrown her arms around him, clambering straight up onto his knees as she held onto his neck and cuddled him tightly, instinctively. Chibs laughed at her fearsome grip and gave her a hug. He buried his nose in her hair and breathed her in, she was just lovely. Natasha stepped back, resting her feet on the chair seat in the gap between Chibs' legs, and her thumb drew softly over the scars on his cheeks. She looked terrified that she might hurt him, but Chibs pressed her hand more firmly against him as he felt her affectionate touch.

"It's okay, love," he said.

"Do they hurt?" she asked, tilting her head to one side just like Nina often did. Chibs laughed as her eyes gazed at him hypnotically.

"Not any more," he replied. "Gosh. You're tall!" he teased. He picked her up and spun her around and Natasha squealed with excitement before he put her down on the edge of the kitchen table. Nina watched with a happy little smile playing on her lips. Natasha looked completely delighted, and Chibs couldn't hide the pride in his eyes as he looked at her. She was his girl alright, she had that perfect bow lip just like his. He touched her nose with the tip of his finger. "Just like yours, Ma," he laughed, looking over at Nina.

"She missed you," Natasha whispered as she tugged on Chibs' beard. Chibs' lips curled into a little grin.

"Did she now?" He picked her up, balancing Natasha on his hip and carrying her over to Nina. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her close, pressing a possessive kiss on her forehead. "You'll have to tell her I missed her too." He squeezed both of them, unable to believe his luck. They were here, his sudden instant and unexpected family. He almost laughed, unable to get his head around any of it. "Christ, what happens now? We just… do this?"

Nina shrugged. "I don't know what else we can do," she murmured. Natasha swung her legs a little.

"Can I see Emily tomorrow?"

Chibs raised an eyebrow as she reached for Nina and Nina took her dutifully into her arms. Natasha yawned widely and Nina encouraged her to rest her head on her shoulder. "If you go back to sleep right now, how's that for a deal?" She held out her hand and Natasha high-fived her with a grin.

"Okay, okay," she beamed. "Can Da come? To bed?" Chibs followed them as they walked to the bedroom and Nina lay her down again. She smoothed the sheet down over her and lay on one side. Chibs stood awkwardly by but Natasha shifted tighter to Nina. She patted the bed beside her. "You can lie down too, Da. Look, I made space."

Chibs chuckled as he dropped down beside her. "Aye, so you did. Thank you." He kicked up his feet and Natasha clicked her tongue disapprovingly.

"Ma says you can't have boots on the bed."

He grinned. "Does she now?" He gave Nina a playful slap on the hip. "Used to keep your boots on with me, missy."

"Filip!" She giggled and Natasha beamed in delight as she looked between the two of them before snuggling down in the bed. Within a few minutes, her breathing steadied and a little snuffle escaped her as she fell asleep. Nina smiled as she stroked her straight hair beneath her palm. "We can do this, right?" she asked, looking at him in the dark. "I know it's a surprise but… it'll all work out, won't it?"

Chibs sighed as he put his hand beneath his head. He had no idea, but he wasn't going to not try. "We'll give it a go, love," he said. "But it's not going to be easy."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N - Breakfast is always fun, especially when introducing families that don't know each other exist...! Just a note to thank you all so much for following me over, this one's a little cuddlier (at least to start, but you know what I'm like!) right now so I hope you enjoy the good times while they're rolling... ;)**

**Sara x**

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><p>Nina winked one eye open to find Chibs had his arms and legs wrapped firmly around her. For a brief second, she panicked, the man in the bed had been a stranger for so long that she filled with fear but as soon as she heard Natasha's happy laughter as she bounced about on the floor beside them, she felt herself relax. She craned her neck to check on her, only to have Chibs paw her and pull her tight to him, burying his head in her hair and murmuring contently. Nina blushed and closed her eyes, trying to remember how it felt when it was like this. When it was good, when they were happy. When they had accidentally made the little girl playing beside them.<p>

She could hear Natasha talking to the toys she played with. Nina smiled to herself as her light little Irish tone murmured, "And today we can meet Emily, and we can have breakfast, and maybe we can go to the playground." She peeked over to see Natasha conferring with a pair of dolls she had insisted on bringing with her, little raggedy-Ann type things she had fallen in love with in an old toyshop in Belfast. Nina felt her chest grow warm, Natasha was so excited to see Emily. She could only wish that Emily would feel the same.

Of course she was scared. The idea of sitting down opposite the girl who had rejected her so hatefully and angrily in that airport was overwhelming, Nina was sure that Emily would never forgive her for what she had done. Every day she had assured herself that, one day, they'd be able to talk it through and it would all be fine. Emily had always been a smart girl, not like dippy little Natasha, a girl so in love with the world that she needed a constant hand holding on to her. Emily would understand, eventually.

Chibs drew his hips to hers as his leg moved down behind hers, their bodies suddenly unspeakably tight. Nina smiled a little as he started to nibble along her neck in his sleep, it felt good to be held like that. It had been too long, she had been lonely for too long. Galen had tried on a couple of occasions, but she had always shut him down with excuses about work and pleasure which he had taken in good grace. But being here, with Chibs, with her Filip, it felt like a dream come true as he snuggled close to her. She nuzzled his nose with her own and sighed.

"We should get up," she murmured, kissing his forehead gently. He grunted, half-asleep, and rolled her beneath him.

"No, no, stay here," he insisted softly. Both of his arms held her tightly now and Nina laughed as she gave him a gentle push. They were both still fully dressed from the night before, his cut was still on his back and crushed against her heavily.

"We have to go for breakfast," she reminded him, caressing his shoulder with her palm. "Come on, I don't want to let her down."

Natasha suddenly bobbed up at the edge of the bed, tugging on Chibs. "Are we going to meet Emily?" Nina smiled.

"You'll have to wake your Da up first."

The little girl leapt up on him boisterously, squashing him in her enthusiasm to get him up. Her knee crushed down into his back and Chibs squawked loudly, cursing into the pillow as Nina slipped out from beneath him and righted herself with a giggle. Natasha bounced on him, ploughing the back of his head with kisses. "Come on, Da, we can't be late!" she insisted. "She'll be upset if we're late!"

Chibs groaned as he grabbed her and pulled her down into a hug. Natasha squealed with joy as he cuddled her to him and rolled onto his back, blinking to try and wake himself up. He admired Nina as she changed her clothes, watching with a strange sense of satisfaction. Natasha put her hand over his eyes.

"You can't watch Ma changing! That's naughty!" she insisted. Chibs laughed as he pulled her fingers out of his way.

"Aye, I can, ask her, she doesn't mind." He watched her as she pulled her shirt off. The reaper scar on her back grinned at him, he'd almost forgotten it was there but seeing it again was a stark reminder of her history with the club. She was one of them alright. "You don't mind, do you Ma?"

"Depends," she murmured, looking through the drawers and pulling out a smart, fitted black shirt. "Do I get to watch you?"

"Ma!"

Natasha looked enormously embarrassed and hid her head beneath a pillow. Nina crossed to tickle her and motioned to the other room. "Go, change, let's go, let's go!" Natasha hurtled off in the other direction, leaning heavily on Chibs' crotch as she went. He groaned, he hadn't missed that pain for sure. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, throwing off his cut in an instant, too hot. Nina handed him a shirt, an old flannel one of his that she had clearly kept. It was worn now through years of use, but Chibs didn't mind. He tugged off his shirt and pulled this one on instead.

"She's beginning to understand these things," he observed. She nodded.

"Yeah, she's not quite as quick as Emily though," she teased, tapping his temple gentle. "Must be genes from the father."

"Cheeky little mare," he growled, sweeping her up in his arms and throwing her back down on the bed, straddling her. Nina laughed loudly, inelegantly, and Chibs beamed to see her suddenly so herself, unkempt and wild and happy. "You better be buying breakfast. Expenses and all."

The small, unexpected family dressed and piled into one of the cars waiting out the front of the house. Nina stared nervously out of the window as the town rolled past them quickly. Chibs leaned across, winding his fingers in with hers to support her. Natasha eyed them with a smile, kicking her feet happily as they made their way into the centre of Charming. They pulled up outside their usual haunt, a diner just near Main, and Chibs nodded towards Tig's car. Happy was leaning against it, smoking a cigarette, and watched in silence as Chibs helped Natasha out of the car and took her hand as they crossed the parking lot. Nina offered him a wave and he nodded to acknowledge her.

"This is going to be weird," she whispered as she jogged to catch up with Chibs. He put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her head.

"You'll be fine, love."

Tig was already sitting in the booth with Emily as she did her homework. She was in her little school uniform, a little grey pleated skirt and a white shirt. Her socks were up to her knees and her dark hair flowing wildly around her face. Nina could feel her knees giving out as they walked over, she was already sure she couldn't do this but Chibs edged her forward. He held Natasha back for a moment as Nina moved awkwardly towards them. Tig looked up and grinned the widest smile she had seen in a long time.

"Hey baby." He stood up and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her for as long as he could without it being awkward. As Nina let go of him, her eyes diverted to Emily. Her Emily, her beautiful Emily, suddenly such a big girl. Emily stared at her and rolled her tongue against her teeth before looking at Tig.

"Why is she here?"

Tig gave her a poke and yanked her up to stand on the booth bench. "She's your Mom, honey, stand up, say hello." Emily glared, her little hands balling into fists as she looked at her. Nina wanted to cry, there was that same distance between them she had left with.

"Hi, Emily," she ventured, reaching her hand out for her. She moved to stroke Emily's cheek but Emily shrieked and pulled away, slapping her hard.

"No. You don't touch me." She glowered at Tig in a rage. "I want to go home."

"We're having breakfast," Tig said firmly, his tone one that Emily knew better than to argue with. "So sit down and be nice." Emily sulked as she plonked herself down on the bench and Nina sat awkwardly on the seat at the end, unsure whether to even try to sit any closer to her. Tig forced a smile as he caressed Nina's cheek in his hand adoringly. "It's okay, baby, it's just going to take her some time to get used to you being home. Chibs here?"

Nina moved to wave him over and Chibs came to join them. Natasha looked at the table, fascinated, this place was so different to Belfast. She peered at Emily with wonder and her lips curled into a beaming, toothy smile. Emily scowled as she looked over the menu, and Tig's gaze suddenly grew uncomfortable as he looked from Chibs to Natasha and then back again. He glanced at Nina.

"Who's this?"

Natasha boldly stepped up to him and extended her hand like she had seen her mother do a thousand times. "I'm Tash," she chirruped sweetly. She used her left hand to take Nina's and announced, "This is my Ma and…" She looked at Chibs dreamily, like he was some sort of hero. "That's my Da."

Tig had been in the process of sipping beer through a straw in an attempt to look subtle but he spluttered it out across the table as she said it. Emily wailed in annoyance as a few drops splashed on her homework and she whisked it up off the table quickly, grabbing a napkin.

"Jesus, Daddy, what the fuck?"

Nina stared at her, her eyes wide in surprise. "Emmy! Don't say that!"

Chibs winced, he'd forgotten that maybe they'd been a little more lax about language since Nina had been away. He covered Natasha's ears but Natasha giggled and tugged on his sleeve.

"Da, can I say 'fuck'?"

"No you cannot!" Nina snapped, unable to cope with the uncomfortable family dynamic. "Jesus Christ. Tig, you-"

"You had a kid? With him?" Tig was incredulous, unable to get over the second little girl at the table. He had spent the whole morning thoroughly excited by the surprise he had for Emily, he had been sure she would be as happy as he was but she was far from it. Now, seeing this stranger, he stared accusingly at Chibs and jabbed his finger in his face. "You knew about this?"

"Of course I didn't," Chibs muttered, rolling his eyes. "You think I'd have kept this a secret? You think I'd have been in Charming if I knew she was in Belfast?"

Tig crossed his arms. "I don't know. You were in Charming while _she_ was in Belfast!" He pointed at Nina and she felt her face growing hot, embarrassed as she flushed red. This was too much, it was all too much. She looked beseechingly at Emily but she stubbornly turned her head away, turning her nose up at Natasha. Natasha, not realising that she was being snubbed so openly, dug in her bag and handed Emily one of her two dolls.

"I brought this for you," she said with a hopeful smile. "From Ireland. Ma said you'd like it."

As the two Sons squabbled loudly over the table, Emily looked at the gift being held out to her. Natasha's eyes sparkled with excitement, she looked adoringly up at her big sister. After a moment, Emily rummaged through her school bag and pulled out her tired-looking bunny. The little creature was looking its age now, worn and a little threadbare, but she offered it to Natasha in exchange. The two girls smiled at each other and squeezed across to sit closer together. Nina felt her heart skip a beat as Natasha leaned across to play with Emily's hair, pulling at the dark ringlets before tugging at her own straight, light brown hair on her head.

"Ma told me about you," she whispered quietly, in awe of the other girl that was so similar but yet so different. "Every day."

Emily looked over at Nina uncertainly. "Really?" Natasha nodded eagerly.

"She showed me pictures, you with your Da, with my Da." She reached across the table. "Ma, let me show her the pictures."

Tig and Chibs fell silent as Nina passed her phone across and they watched as the two children settled down together to look through the photographs. They huddled close, the bright light on the screen shining on their faces. Nina felt herself visibly relax as they chattered between themselves and leaned back in her seat, her hand in her hair as she waved at a waitress.

"Coffee, please," she insisted, looking exasperatedly between Chibs and Tig. "Then we can order."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N - Oh, you guys know me, I can't bear the cuddly cuteness too long, it makes me go a little crazy. So enjoy this, you know I like a fast ride ;) And it's going to get really, really messy - physically and emotionally - in the next few chapters... so enjoy!**

**Sara x**

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><p>"Daddy, I don't feel well."<p>

Natasha was curled against her mother in the booth, her feet up on the bench as Nina gently stroked her hair. She looked at Emily as the dark-haired little girl sat up on her knees and tugged at Tig's cut. She pouted, pushing her lower lip out and rested her chin on his shoulder. Tig rolled his eyes, he heard this one all the time. He put his hand against Emily's forehead, turning it over to feel her temperature with both sides of his fingers. Normally, he would just let her stay home but knowing Nina was watching, he ummed and erred over it for a few moments.

"I don't know, Em, you feel okay to me."

"I ate too much." She sulked and pushed her stomach out as she winked at Natasha. Tig glanced over at Nina, knowing full well that she was observing the whole exercise. He scratched the back of his head and looked deferentially to Chibs, hoping he might be able to handle this. Chibs chuckled and leaned on his elbows on the table, watching with a wry smile. Emily looked at the table, commanding them with her big blue eyes. "Please, Daddy, can't I stay here today?"

Tig sighed as she clambered onto his lap and put her arms around his neck, resting against his chest. She pulled at his hair for a moment, winding it on her fingers, and blinked at him before Tig finally gave in. He was never able to say no to Emily, it was almost impossible. "Maybe just today," he said, cuddling her and kissing her forehead. "Seeing as your Mom is here."

Emily was in two minds about how to take that. She was still enormously frustrated by Nina's presence, unable to express how she really felt about any of it. When they got home, she would bawl and scream and cry but she knew better than to do it here. She pushed her lower lip out, she'd rather accept the day at home, even if it did mean spending it with Nina. She just wanted to spend more time with her new friend Natasha more than anything else.

"Are we still going to the playground?" Natasha asked, sitting up next to Nina. Nina nodded, plaiting a little braid in Tash's hair.

"I thought we could, I know your Da likes the roundabout." She looked at Chibs and he blushed, remembering the way he had kissed her there when they'd been finding their feet together again. Emily coloured, she remembered it too and held Tig's hand possessively.

"Can we come?" she insisted, looking at Chibs. "Maybe playing will make me feel better."

Nina laughed, that girl had those two grown men twisted around her little finger. Chibs thought on it for a moment before looking to Nina for an answer. Nina shrugged, of course she didn't mind. Chibs nodded, slowly at first and then a little faster. "Well I don't see why not," he finally said. "Just for a little while, bit of fresh air and all, might just do the trick." He watched as Nina looked in her bag for her wallet and he dug in his pocket quickly, pulling out a roll of cash and peeling off a few notes. "Here, I've got this."

"It's my treat, they're my girls," Nina insisted, pushing it back towards him. Chibs looked at her with a raised eyebrow but took her hand and kissed her knuckles gently. Tig stared hard, unable to control his jealousy as he looked at the intimate way they touched each other. Emily followed his gaze and her little face furrowed.

"Let's go," she announced loudly. Chibs laughed as he looked over at her and let go of Nina.

"Aye, aye, fine."

Happy flicked his cigarette away as they all piled out of the diner and he opened the door for Emily. Natasha hesitated for a second before parting from her and following Chibs back towards their own car. Both girls looked expectantly at Nina, wanting her to join them, and she pressed her lips together before heading toward the waiting Irish car with a nod to their escort. Emily's fists balled and she slunk into the car, slamming the door in a temper as she sulked in the backseat. Tig motioned for Happy to drive and slipped in next to his daughter.

"Come here, kid," he said, balling her under his arm and snuffling her hair playfully. "Doesn't mean shit, she probably left her jacket in there or something. Don't worry about it."

Emily sat in stony silence all the way to the playground. Tig looked over at her every now and then, he could see how upset she was. Of course she would be, he felt exactly the same way. Nina had come back with clear allegiances to Chibs and he couldn't hide how irritated he was by the whole thing. She was rejecting him, point blank, him and his daughter. Their daughter. His nostrils flared as he thought about it. That wasn't fair.

"We're here!" Natasha exploded with excitement as she raced over to the second car as Happy parked up and she hurled the door open, grabbing Emily's hand and tugging her out. "What's the best bit? Will you show me?" She was so full of giddy joy that Emily got swept up with it almost instantly. Forgetting her mood, she led Natasha across the grass towards the climbing frame. Tig got out and leaned against the car with Happy, his arms crossed as he watched Chibs walking across with his arm around Nina's shoulders.

"It's bullshit, brother," he muttered, glancing over at Happy. "Way he just thinks it's all cool, I fucking hate it."

"She doesn't." Happy pointed to Nina's hand as it strayed along Chibs' back and sank into the back pocket of his jeans. Chibs pushed a kiss onto her head and led her across the the roundabout. Tig scowled, taking a drag of Happy's cigarette before handing it back and jogging over to join them. He leapt up onto the roundabout, climbing over the bars to get to the same spot as Nina. She smiled at him sweetly, and Tig blocked the way so that Chibs couldn't get to her as he jumped up.

"So you're sticking around?" Tig ventured, looking at her. She seemed so out of place in her perfect little suit with her neatly-tied hair. "Because I think maybe you should come spend some time with me and Em, you know, sort shit out." He looked at Chibs. "Da here can spend some one-on-one with Tash and you and I can have some one-on-one of our own." He hooked his fingers in the edge of her skirt and Nina laughed, patting his hand away.

"We should have time together," she said with a nod. "But I think we should all be together. It's not exactly two families, we're all the same unit."

Chibs frowned, trying to elbow Tig out of the way. "Aye, we can move both of them to my place, that's not a problem. I've got that spare room, we can put a pair of bunks in there and-"

"What?" Tig snapped as he heard that. "No way, Emily's staying with me." He looked at Nina, his eyes sparkling with fierce protectiveness. "She's not shacking up at yours and playing happy goddamn dollhouse shit. She's mine."

Nina rubbed her eye, these two were too much. "I thought they could both stay with me, I've got a house, in Charming, lots of space, off the beaten path. They'll be safe, I've got guards on the place at all times. Tash's settled there but I'm sure Emily can make it home too."

"Home?" Tig shook his head. "Home is my place. Home is where she's been for the last six years, Nina, you can't just take her away from me." Nina could see how upset he was getting, she reached to touch him, to comfort him, much to Chibs' chagrin.

"Emily's happiness is the most important thing to me, Alex," she insisted. "I'll only ever do whatever she is happy with. _We_ are happy with," she said, looking at both of them. "Look, I know this is hard, I never expected everything to be easy, not even a little bit, but we can make it work if we all work together. I love both of this little girls. Equally," she added, glancing between them.

"And us?" Tig's lip twitched as he asked it, he knew it would cause trouble but he needed to know. "How'd you feel about me? And him?" He nodded to Chibs as the roundabout slowed to a halt. "You love both of us equally?"

Nina opened her mouth to speak when she suddenly heard car wheels squealing across the parking lot. She glanced up to see three motorcycles speeding through the drop-off zone, and she felt herself paling as she saw the flash of metal glinting in the sunlight as each of the drivers unsheathed a gun and aimed them towards the playground. She shrieked as she catapulted herself off the roundabout, sprinting across the lawn towards the climbing frame. She cried out as Happy suddenly knocked her flat to the ground, pressing her to the floor, and she spluttered as she looked up to see Natasha had pulled Emily down to the ground, covering her protectively.

They had gone before she even had a chance to see them. One of the Irish cars set off almost immediately, and both Tig and Chibs ran as fast as they could to their daughters. Happy crawled off Nina, helping her back to her feet and ensuring she was alright as he got her up. They could hear someone crying, a mother holding her lifeless son in her arms. Tig swallowed as he held Emily in his grip, cuddling her tightly, covering her eyes as he spotted a couple of teenagers slumped dead across the swings, their fingers entwined with each others.

"Jesus Christ." Chibs was on his knees as he squeezed Natasha in his arms, his eyes fixed on Tig. "Did you see anything?" Tig shook his head.

"No cuts, just bikes," Happy called across. "Masks, gloves, could have been anyone. Irish went after them."

Chibs could feel Natasha shivering in his arms. She was crying, even though she had known what to do, she was still terrified. Emily sobbed into Tig's chest, hysterical, and Nina moved to comfort her quickly. She put her arms around her, trying to calm her, and pushed her lips against Emily's forehead. "It's okay, baby, we're okay," she insisted. The wails of the mother in mourning haunted her ears as she felt her heart racing in her throat. Emily finally reached for Nina, wrapping her arms around her neck and letting her take her. Tig eased the girl into Nina's arms but stood protectively by both of them, glancing across at Chibs as Happy crossed to make sure they were alright.

"I'll go, call the others on the way," Happy muttered, looking at his President. He patted Chibs' arm as he jogged to the car, he'd prefer a Harley but right now he'd take whatever he could to find the assholes who had done this. Chibs watched him go and straightened himself, lifting Natasha with ease in his grip. He took her over to Nina and pushed Natasha into Tig's arms.

"Take them back to the club, I'll call Roosevelt," he said abruptly. "Go."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N - So, this is pulling in a bit of Season 7 so I hope I'm not spoiler-ing anything for anyone! If I am, let me know ASAP so I can get it in hand. **

**Anyway, I have a theory about Jarry and Chibs, one which makes me wonder if they've known each other before. With that in mind, I'm introducing her here as a bit of a foil. It's going to get messy and complicated, just the way I like it. I hope you do too!**

**So the timeline is as it was for Family Ties and It Was Always You - Season 5-esque (so no Opie but Tara's still around with Jax), just with the addition of Althea Jarry for an extra kick.**

**Just a short one to whet your appetites, let me know what you think...!**

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><p>Chibs put his hands on the back of his head as he saw Roosevelt pulling up to the playground. He started towards him in an instant but Eli wasn't alone, and Chibs paused as he saw another officer standing by. His eyes rolled over her hesitantly, looking at her with uncertainty. Roosevelt smiled a little and motioned towards her.<p>

"Althea Jarry," he said, introducing them quickly. Chibs gritted his teeth, nobody had mentioned a new Sheriff in town, especially not one so familiar. He held out his hand to shake hers, keeping things externally sweet, and Jarry stepped forward, her thumb rubbing over his knuckles softly as she returned the interaction. Eli didn't notice the way they both held on a little too long as he looked behind Chibs at the scene strewn with bodies. "What the hell happened?"

Chibs opened his mouth and closed it again, not sure of what he could or should say in that moment. He had had it all planned out, but seeing Jarry there, in that uniform, just staring at him expectantly threw him for a spin.

"I, uh…" He pinched his nose, trying to get control of himself. Christ, what was this? Why was she here? "We were the girls. Tig, myself, N-" He checked himself, he couldn't throw Nina under the bus like that. Now she was IRA, now she was of police interest. "Natasha, my little girl, and Emily."

"Little girl?" Jarry looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Chibs ground his back teeth together, this wasn't quite how he was expecting any of today to go, and it was just going from bad to worse as far as he could see. He nodded, gaging her eye, trying go keep control of the conversation.

"Aye, little girl. My daughter." If she was angry, she hid it well, and he pressed his lips together. "It's complicated."

"Must be." Eli could see the other officers moving across the playground, tending to the bodies and looking to see who was still alive. He rubbed his hand over his face and looked at Chibs for some sort of explanation. "You must have seen something. Who the hell would do this?"

That he didn't know, Chibs had been pondering the same thing while he'd been standing there waiting for him. "I don't know anything," he said. "Three bikes, shot through. Not cuts, colours, couldn't see their ink. Handguns, took a few shots and sped off." He looked at Roosevelt. "This is where you start, you know, policing."

Eli rolled his eyes and started to cross the playground. He could see the shaking mother was shivering in hysterics on the floor as she pawed over her little boy, he knew he had a duty of care to the poor woman. Jarry waited until he was out of earshot before she looked at Chibs with a raised eyebrow.

"I didn't know you had a daughter."

"I didn't know _you_ had a new job," Chibs muttered quietly. His eyes explored her face curiously and he glanced over his shoulder to make Eli couldn't hear their conversation. "What are you doing here, Al? It's been, Christ…" He trailed off and she smiled a little.

"Ten years or so?" She gave him a gentle poke in the ribs. "I took a fast track, got myself out of the prison guard plan. Worked hard, trained hard." She eyed him for a moment. "Came back to where it all started."

Chibs chuckled at that. She had been a drunken night in a bar when out on the road, but one night had turned into two, then four, then a couple of weeks. Two months, three months. It would have gone on longer but he'd been tossed into Stockton for six and she had deemed anything else to be impossible in case it affected her career. After that, she'd just disappeared without a word and Chibs had given up hope. Never in a million years had he expected her here, now.

"So what really happened?"

Her abrupt question snapped him out of his confused gaze and he gritted his teeth. "I don't know," he repeated slowly. "I should go, I need to get back to my family."

Jarry tilted her head towards him. "Okay, Scotty." She smiled a little as he started towards his car, but Chibs paused and turned on his heel.

"Why are you here?" he asked. He looked at Eli. "Roosevelt's got this covered."

"Roosevelt's moving on," she informed him curtly. "He's going for a change of scene, change of pace. Fresno, somewhere like that." She smiled. "Getting a little more sun."

Chibs gulped, that was the last thing he needed. The club just about had Roosevelt in the right place, and he was leaving? That was just his luck, he would have to grease the way with another Sheriff, find another way to make things work. The way Jarry was looking at him made him sure that he might be able to find that way, it just wouldn't be one that he was all that sure about taking. "Aye, well. Guess we should have a chat then," he said. Jarry smiled at that.

"I'd like that," she said encouragingly. "I'm sure we can find a way of making things work." She bit at her lip slightly as she looked up at him. "How about the bar that we met? Tonight, nine?"

Chibs nodded, that would work. "Aye, fine. I'll… see what we can make work."

He headed back to the car and slipped in, shutting the door quickly and leaning his head back against the seat. Jesus Christ, what was he doing? Althea Jarry had given him nothing but heartache and sleepless nights when she'd cut him off last time, and now she was here, clear as day, smiling and chatting and making small talk like nothing had ever passed between them. For months, they had been caught up with each other in some messy, complicated, obsessive sort of runaway train that neither of them could get away from and then it had all just gone.

"Go home," he told himself firmly as he started the car. He looked across the lot to see her standing there, looking at him and Chibs groaned at himself. He needed to get back to the club, fill them in on the changes, see what else they had found out. It seemed too unlikely that this was a chance occurrence, two Sons and an IRA leader in a park weren't just unlucky targets. Shit. Nina. He'd barely thought of her while talking to Althea.

He drove back to the club, chiding himself for being such an idiot. What was he doing? It wasn't like he could get back into that, he was crazy to think that was a good idea. He rubbed his hand through his hair as he pulled into the lot to see Nina sitting out on the swings by herself, smoking a cigarette nervously. A few of the Irish guard stood around her, far enough away not to bother her, and she looked up as she saw him get out of the car. She gave him a wave but Chibs didn't respond, he just padded into the club, distracted and still furious at himself.

"Boys," he called as he walked in. He motioned to those who were there and pointed to the chapel. "Church. Now."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N - Hope you're all having a great weekend. Chibs is getting a little distracted, but who is for, him or the club?**

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><p>By the time they spilled out of chapel, Nina had come back in to sit with her girls. Chibs hung back but Tig bounded over to her enthusiastically, ploughing into Emily on the couch and tickling her playfully. Emily beamed at him as she pulled at his hair and announced,<p>

"I was going to get the beers but the prospect did it."

She pointed at Jax and Nina blushed as she followed Emily's hand. Tig muttered something quietly as he glanced over at Nina, he could see her staring at that man with a cold expression in her eyes. She looked to him for an explanation and Tig shrugged. "They voted him back in. Been a long time, I guess, some people have forgotten what he did." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder towards Chibs accusingly. Nina could see him acting a little withdrawn, she frowned and pulled at her lower lip.

"Daddy." Emily tugged on Tig's sleeve. Tig looked down at her and she held out her palm expectantly. "Do I still get a dollar?"

He laughed as he pulled out his wallet and gave her five bucks. After a moment, he offered the same to Natasha, who took it and turned it over curiously in her hands. She frowned at it and offered it to her mother instead. "It's different to money at home, Ma, look."

Nina smiled a little as she took it from her. "I know, Tash, I lived here for a long time." She looked at Tig with a moment of longing just as Natasha announced,

"Is that when you fell in love with Da?"

The words made Tig feel sick. He could just imagine it, putting sweet little Natasha to bed and telling of the desperate love story between Nina and Chibs. He couldn't stop it stinging his mind, as much as he didn't want to think about it, he couldn't help himself. He pulled a sour sort of face and Emily frowned on his behalf.

"No, because she loves my Dad," she declared loudly. "Don't you?"

Nina groaned, it was the same damn conversation from the playground. "I love both of them equally," she said firmly. "Like I love both of you equally." She pushed a dashed kiss on both of their foreheads as she saw Chibs hanging back. Something was bothering him, she could already tell, and she excused herself from Tig to walk over to him. She stroked his arm softly and offered him a smile. "Are you okay? You look… pissed."

Chibs grimaced at her. "Aye, sorry. Just, business stuff." He motioned towards chapel with his hand, the room was empty now but the conversation was still bothering him. Nina gave him a smile and rubbed his cheek.

"I was going to make us dinner tonight," she offered. "Thought it would be nice to just spend some time together. Tig's helping Emily with some school stuff, it would just be us three."

She gestured to Natasha and Chibs felt his heart sink. He wanted to, he really did, but he was already aware that the meeting with Althea would take up a big chunk of his night. Just driving out to that bar and back was a sixty-minute trip, plus God only knew what she'd want to talk about. He frowned, all he wanted to do was spend the time with Natasha but he had to shake his head.

"I can't, I've got something to do," he muttered. "Club, to do with the mess at the playground." He lowered his voice as he said, "There's a new Sheriff in Charming, I need to go and ensure they're on side."

Nina nodded slowly, she understood that. "Whatever it takes, I get that." She smiled and pushed a kiss onto his cheek. "I'll save you some, keep it warm, if you want to come to mine tonight."

"No." Chibs said it softly. "I think it could be late. I'll come by in the morning, maybe we can have some breakfast?" Nina swallowed and took a deep breath, he was pushing her away. Something was definitely up. She kicked her foot at the floor as he walked away from her and sulked as she headed back to Tig. Tig's lip twitched, he could see that she had been rejected and he instantly motioned for Emily to make space for her. Emily frowned but shifted over as Tig pulled Nina down into the seat.

"You okay?"

She nodded. "Yes, I think so." She gazed at Chibs as he headed out. "Maybe you guys should come and have dinner at mine, we can do homework at my place. Would that be okay?" Tig grinned and patted her leg.

"Yeah, baby, that would be great, we'd love that." He kissed her temple. "Just the family, it'll be perfect."

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><p>Althea sat in the back of the bar with a bottle of Jack and two glasses. She knew what Chibs would drink, it was always the same, and whisky was always the preference when he was horny. She smiled, he'd definitely be horny, he always was when he turned up to meet her. It had been a few years, sure, but she was positive nothing would have changed. She rolled the ice around in her glass and poured herself another shot while she waited.<p>

Chibs arrived not long after the appointed time. He wasn't wearing his cut, they both appreciated the need to be discreet, and he rubbed his jaw as he looked at her. God, she looked good, tight black jeans and a plain shirt. He gave her a small wave as he crossed and sat down beside her. Jarry leaned over and pushed a kiss onto his cheek, and Chibs blushed, easing her back a little.

"Easy now," he said, his face flushing. Jarry raised an eyebrow as she leaned on the table.

"You've sure changed your tune, Scotty," she teased, fiddling with the top button of her shirt as she flashed the edge of her bra. Chibs felt his heart skip a little beat as she did, he closed his eyes for a brief second.

"Al, come on, it's been a long time." He rubbed his hands together, his mind was telling him no but the way she was looking at him was making him think on other things. "We should just, you know, catch up." Her foot ran up the inside of his leg and made him jump. Jesus, why was he so nervous? It was just Althea, why did he feel so guilty sitting there opposite her?

"I'd like to catch up," she murmured. "Maybe we could get out of here, go back to yours. Catch up… _properly_."

Jesus, that was her hand on his thigh. Chibs took a breath, he didn't want to be here. Every time she touched him, he wanted to pull away. Maybe he should go home, back to his daughter, back to Nina. He raked his fingers through his hair and suddenly her hand was further up. He closed his eyes for a moment.

"We were talking about arrangements," Jarry suggested. Chibs nodded, pushing her back a little as he looked into his jacket. Leaning over, he handed her a packet of money. Jarry took it into her hand and slipped it straight into her bag without even looking at it.

"That's two k," Chibs said, looking down at the envelope that she so causally had put aside. "But you didn't bring me here for that, did you?"

Althea smiled and leaned her hand against her cheek. "No, Filip, I didn't." She slid closer to him. "I thought we could maybe find another way of keeping things… in line with each other." Before he could say another word, she had pressed herself against him, her lips on his hungrily. Chibs hummed gently, trying to urge her back but unable to prise her off him. As she squeezed him beneath the table, Chibs panicked and gave her a small shove.

"Al, we can't."

She looked at him with a defiant smile. "I know it's been a while, but nothing's changed." She looked at him for a moment and pulled at his lower lip. "Not for me, anyway." Her hand tiptoed over him. "And I don't think for you either."

Chibs took a deep breath. "Althea, I… I shouldn't."

She was pressing herself against him and he was struggling to focus. He wished he hadn't had so much whisky now in the short space of time he had been there, he was finding it too hard to stop her. "I thought you wanted to grease the wheels, Filip?" She raised an eyebrow. "There's one way I want to make this work, if you want to." She was staring at him, her lips were too close and Chibs murmured contently as she kissed him again. He growled a little at her touch and nodded.

"We should go back," he said quietly. He could see eyes on him, it was time to get out of there. The last thing he needed was for some sort of rumour to get around about him and another woman in town. "Your place." His whole body was conflicted but he knew he had to do whatever it took, Nina had said it herself. He stood and Althea smiled as she hooked her fingers in with his, following him out to his bike. She was going to get what she wanted from him and more, she was sure of it.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N - Tig's defending Chibs while Chibs isn't being as loyal as Tig thinks he might be... Hmm, now how might that end?!**

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><p>Tig took one last look at the two sisters lying in his bed and sighed as he flicked the lamp off. How was this ever happening? It made no sense to him. Suddenly he had this enormous and complex family, and while he loved every second of it, he simply couldn't explain any if it.<p>

He whimpered gently as Nina ran her arms around him and leaned her head against his back. Her touch was so soft and intimate, it surprised him and Tig closed his eyes for a moment as he enjoyed her body pressed against his own. She felt good so close to him, and he purred contently as she gave him a squeeze.

"You were so long, I thought something was wrong," she whispered. He smiled as he guided her out, shutting the door behind them and guiding her to sit down.

"Just get excited," he said. "Two girls in my bed." She gave him a punch in the arm and he laughed. "You know what I mean. Our kids," he said, tickling her lightly. Nina giggled as she squeezed away from him and Tig sighed as he looked over her. There were the light traces of a scar beneath her right eye, from when Connor Malone had cut her right there, in that apartment. Along her neck were the traces of when Jax had attacked her in Belfast. He sighed, she was a battle-scarred old lady, for sure.

"Dinner was nice," she ventured, knowing that he was looking at her flaws so intently. "Big step up from grilled cheese."

"I had to learn, didn't I?" Tig shrugged. "Emmy'd be a big toasted triangle if I hadn't." She laughed at that and Tig beamed, pleased that he could still make her happy, even if it was just in his own silly way.

He could see there was something sad about her gaze. Even though she was smiling and had been chatting through dinner, he could tell something was gnawing at her. He pressed his lips together, he'd do anything just to distract her with something else instead.

"Where did he go tonight?" she finally asked, swirling her wine in her glass and finishing it. She could feel the heat flooding her cheeks. "Chibs, where is he?"

It was club business but Tig didn't mind sharing. "That shooting at the playground, had to follow it up. There's some new sheriff in town, Althea Jarry, her name is. He went to make friends." He could see how put out she was almost instantly. "You know we need the cops on our side, Nina."

She shook her head, trying to shake away the nagging feeling she had in her chest. "Sure, sorry." She forced a smile. "I was just surprised he didn't mention her."

Her. The weight of the word made Tig realise her fear. She was on the alert, thinking that Chibs might stray. He shook his head and dropped his arm around her, pulling her tight.

"That dope loves you," he insisted, cuddling up to her. He pushed a rough, stubbly kiss on her temple. "Always has, always will, and he'd never compromise that. Especially not with Natasha, you know that."

She tried to smile but she wasn't sure she did know that, not for sure. She grimaced. "Maybe. I just..." She looked at him for a moment. "I don't want to risk my daughter with a cop, that's all."

Tig shook his head. Chibs could be an idiot but he surely knew better than that. "He would never let anyone hurt her."

"I don't want him to let anyone close to her," Nina clarified, fiercer now. "Women are manipulative, they get in your head. I just..." She trailed off. No matter what she said, she would always sound like a jealous housewife, and it wasn't like she and Chibs had any sort of fixed relationship. "Never mind."

Tig could see she was conflicted about the whole thing. He rubbed his thumb along the scar beneath her eye as he saw her growing teary, and he leaned his head against hers. "Don't cry, baby," he murmured softly, trying to kiss the droplets away from her cheek. "You have no idea how much he loves you, he'd never put you or your girls at risk, he wouldn't dare. He's just trying to lock things up to keep them even safer, that's all."

He wished that he could be the one she needed, the one she depended on. She leaned into him, she felt small in his arms and he nuzzled her tenderly.

"He just doesn't know what's he's got, he never has." He closed his eyes as he breathed her in. "You ever change your mind, Nina, I swear, I'll be here."

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><p>Chibs sat on the bed with a red towel wrapped around his waist, a stranger's towel. His damp hair dripped down the back of his neck as he took a deep breath, trying to calm his erratic heartbeat again. Althea was humming softly as she showered, for some reason the house was getting under his skin.<p>

"What are you doing?" His hands were shaking as he fished out a cigarette and lit it carefully. "You waited for six goddamn years." Nina had barely been back a day, he had held out for all that time but somehow, Jarry had got to him at just the right moment. When he was weak, or horny, or susceptible. Whatever it was, she was there.

Even though they had showered, he could smell her all over him. She had this scent, one that drove him crazy, one that made him want nothing but her and it was stuck to his skin. He wanted to get it off almost as much as he wanted to wallow in it, it was making him want to peel his own flesh off. What was this? Any of this? He shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"That felt good," Althea murmured as she stepped out. Her towel, perfectly matching his own, was wrapped tight around her, tucked perfectly so it wouldn't fall. "Just like last time."

Last time. It sunk in as she said it, he was just doing the same old thing again. He shook his head, he needed to get out of here, he shouldn't be here. She reached for his cigarette and took a drag as she sat down beside him on the bed.

"Old habits die hard, I guess." He forced a smile. "I, uh, should get going," he said softly, patting her leg. "It was nice to catch up."

Althea laughed as she rolled onto her front. Her legs extended back, bare and toned, and Chibs swallowed as he looked at them. "That's it? You're just going to go?" She gave him a playful poke. "You used to be such a snuggler."

He should be snuggling someone else. He should be kissing his daughter to sleep and having dinner with the woman he had been so dedicated to for so long, the one he had fucked up with so many times he couldn't even count any more but still wanted to give him a chance.

"This, it can't happen again," he said softly, prising her back. "I'll keep up the deal. Cash every month."

"You'll bring it?" She smiled a little as she said it. "Here, once a month? We can... debrief?"

Chibs knew what she meant. It was impossible to ignore what she meant when she said it like that. He groaned as he got up, moving out of her reach as he pulled his clothes back on.

"Jesus, Ally, we can't, I shouldn't be here." He dragged his pants on quickly, if he left now he could still kiss Natasha goodnight. "I've got a family, a daughter."

"And her Mom?" Althea smiled, playful and innocent. "She can't be that important to you, Filip."

He shook his head. If she had just come back to town just one day earlier, one damn day, Nina wouldn't have been there, Natasha wouldn't even be in his mind. If there was one person who could have cured him of his addiction to Nina, it was Jarry. The timing just couldn't have been worse.

"She is important to me," he said abruptly. "You don't know anything."

Althea smiled and sat up on her knees on the bed. "I know that that was good. I know that you enjoyed it." She unclipped her towel and let it fall down around her, exposing her body to him. "I know that you want more."

Chibs shook his head and picked up her towel, putting it back around her shoulders. "I know that I need to go home. I'll bring you your money, you keep me looped in and I'll do the same." He rubbed her jaw with his thumb for a moment and pushed a kiss on her cheek. "It was nice to see you."

He was about to leave when Althea called out, "The shooting. At the playground. I heard that there are members of the IRA in Charming, do you know if that's true?"

Chibs swallowed. He took a deep breath, rubbed his jaw and turned to look at her. "IRA? In Charming? I doubt it, why would they come here?"

He walked out, pulling the door shut behind him, and leaned his head against the wall outside as he caught his breath. Christ, was he still that simple? He needed to get her off him, that smell that was haunting him. He needed to go home, shower, take some Valium and sleep. He loved Nina, he was sure of that, positive even. This had just been a mistake, an accidental dalliance.

"And it'll never happen again," he chided himself. Althea was too interested in work, she always had been. Asking about the IRA had him on alert, her investigation would lead her crashing back to Nina and he just couldn't risk that. He needed to keep his distance, for everyone's sake.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N - Sounds like Chibs is grinding your gears as much as he is mine. He should talk to Jax about manipulation, maybe it's a skill that comes with being King... Enjoy!**

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><p>The sound of the Harley pulling to a stop on the drive awoke Nina. She heard one of her Irish guards stopping Chibs abruptly outside of the house, barking at him to hand over his weapon. Jesus, she'd have to have a word with them about that, she was sure Chibs would be getting pissed about it. Unfurling herself from the couch and looking around, she rubbed her sore neck as she pulled the front door open. Even though Tig had tried and tried, she had refused to take the spare room in his place but the soreness in her shoulders reminded her why next time she shouldn't be so chivalrous.<p>

"He's fine, let him in," she said as she saw Chibs' balled fists as he was patted down. "Give him his gun back and don't bother him again, okay?"

"Yes, Ms Padilla." The Irishman gave Chibs a shove towards the house and Nina offered him a smile as she welcomed him in. He grimaced as she leaned into him, pushing the lightest of kisses onto his mouth. He was so sure she'd be able to taste Althea Jarry on his lips, but she just stepped back down from him when he didn't hold her like she thought he would.

"Coffee's hot," she offered, pointing to the pot. Tig must already have been up to set it all going, at least it smelled better than his attempts at burnt bacon. "I think he's in the shower."

Chibs bristled a little. Even if he had been elsewhere that night, it bothered him that Nina had spent the evening at Tig's place. He frowned, mostly at himself. He was being unfair, he had cancelled on her after all, and to no particularly good end. "You, uh, have a good night?"

She was still in her clothes from the night before, he noticed. While she fussed over the coffee, he spotted a blanket spread across the couch. Had she slept there? It seemed unlike Tig to not try and edge her into bed, he scowled as he tried to piece it together. Nina pulled down three mugs and laid them out.

"It was okay," she said. "Homework, mostly, and dinner, couple of glasses of wine." She nodded to the empty bottle on the floor. "Girls were asleep by nine, they're still asleep now," she added, glancing at her watch. "You should go see them, cuddled up in Tig's bed. It's adorable."

She handed Chibs a coffee and he took a big gulp. It scalded his mouth but he felt like he needed it, maybe it would burn Jarry's flavour off of his tongue. "Where'd he sleep, then?"

She could tell from his tone what he was insinuating and Nina didn't like it at all. She crossed her arms as she looked at him. "In the spare room, on the single bed," she said curtly. "Alone, if that's what you're worried about." Chibs blushed, he was sure the tips of his ears went red first. He took another sip of his drink, maybe he should just confess everything right now. Nina was looking at him dismissively and he shrugged a little as he tried to play it cool.

"I'm not worried."

Nina was. She definitely was, he was acting so strangely. His body language was distant, stilted, he was keeping himself from her and she knew it in an instant. She smoothed her hand along her pencil skirt and nodded, mostly to assure herself that she was okay. She'd been on her own for long enough, she didn't need Filip Telford, that was for sure.

"I'm going to freshen up," she said, turning away from him as she slipped out of the room. Chibs slammed his hand against his own face, what was he doing? He couldn't be acting more guilty if he tried, and all he was doing was upsetting her. He was meant to be fixing this, for God's sake. He looked up as he heard Tig in the hall, exchanging hushed words with Nina, and he edged around the kitchen to try and listen in better. Nina was almost hyperventilating, trying desperately not to cry before she nipped into the bathroom and shut the door. Chibs found himself immediately confronted by Tig, who had a furious frown on his face.

"What the hell?"

Tig gave him a rough push, shoving him back against the fridge. Chibs groaned as he righted himself and put his mug down. "Nothing, brother."

"Don't upset her," Tig snapped. "You're out all night, you come back in here and make her cry? Fuck, Prez, she was miserable all night because she thinks you're out with some chick, she-"

Chibs gave Tig a smack in the stomach. "You told her that? What the hell is wrong with you?"

Tig laughed outright at that and picked up his coffee for a slurp. It was too early for a fight and he'd spent too much of the night trying to convince Nina to come and share his bed. She hadn't responded well to the suggestion that he could sleep on top of her, funnily enough. "What's the matter, Prez?" he frowned. "It was just a cop, I presume you talked things through. Right?" He lowered his mug as Chibs didn't respond instantly. "Right?"

"Aye, of course." Chibs could feel the guilt building up on him with every damn word, he couldn't even begin to express how bad he felt about what he had done. He hadn't meant to upset Nina, not even slightly, but it was just like her to trust her instinct. "She was crying? I didn't mean to…" He buried his face in his hands as he sat down. "Ah shite."

The sudden thundering of feet made him look up just as Natasha catapulted herself onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck as she showered him with kisses. "Da!" She scrambled over him, pulling at his hair in a bid to get on top of him. "Da, you weren't here last night, you promised you'd tell me a story!"

If he didn't feel bad enough, that made him feel significantly worse. Chibs swung her around to rest her on his lap, he was sure Jarry must have left claw marks in his skin, he was sore all over. He pushed a kiss onto Natasha's cheek and she screwed up her nose as she batted him back. Chibs messed her hair, looking at her as she stood there in some of Emily's old pyjamas.

"Sorry, love, I was working." He looked up as Emily followed her in, pausing to kiss Tig on the cheek before then coming and giving him a dutiful one too.

"Morning, Mr Chibs," she said. She paused for a moment, sniffing him. "You smell funny."

"Does he?" Natasha buried her nose in him and took another long snort but she simply had nothing to compare it too. Instead, she nodded in agreement with her sister. "Yeah, you do."

Tig frowned and followed suit, giving Chibs an investigative sniff. "Yeah," he muttered. His shirt smelled of perfume, he was sure of it. "You do."

"How was your work?" Natasha asked, bouncing on his knee as she fiddled with the collar of his shirt. "Were you busy? Did you sleep? Where did you sleep? You should have come here!"

Chibs rubbed his hand over his face. "I wanted to, love, it was just late by the time I finished." He grimaced, he could see Tig thinking everything over and that was the last thing he needed. If Tig worked any of it out, there was no way he could stop him from pawing all over Nina and that was not what he wanted, not at all. Chibs had had one stupid night, that was all. "Let me go and talk to your Ma."

"Aren't you going to have breakfast?"

Emily was standing on a chair to reach for the box of Fruit Loops from the top of the fridge. Tig leaned over her and grabbed them, kissing the top of her head as he did. She smiled and purred beneath his lips, doing a little dance before jumping down again, sending cereal flying all across the floor as she did. Natasha giggled mercilessly at the mess as Emily clamped her hand over her mouth and looked at her father apologetically. Chibs, on the other hand, ignored the chaos and crunched his way across the kitchen towards the bathroom.

"Nina."

He pushed the door open to see her towelling herself down, her foot up on the edge of the bath. Nina huffed at him and Chibs squeezed in quickly, shutting the door before either of the girls could see him. He rested his hands on his pants as he looked at her. He hadn't seen her naked in far too long and he felt his body pulling towards her desperately. When she ignored him, he stepped forward, catching her face in his hand and drawing her to him.

"Nina, please. I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything." He leaned his forehead to hers as his lips sought hers, he needed to remind himself of her cinnamon taste, the one that he was hooked on. "I trust you, completely."

Somehow his words softened her and she smiled. She hated being mad at him, she had spent too long without him to want to waste any more time being mad. "I trust you too," she replied as she rubbed her hair beneath the towel. Chibs nodded as he ran his hand over her bare arm, his fingers dwelling on her back as he felt the ridges of the reaper beneath his fingertips. He hated that she trusted him, hated that she thought she knew him.

"You and me," he murmured. "We should spend the day together, once Emily's gone to school. Take Natasha, just get away for the day, all of us." He had to make it up to them, somehow. Even if they didn't know, he had to even up whatever he could, just to make himself feel better. What had happened with Althea, it was done and it wasn't going to happen again. He didn't want to risk her, risk this. He pushed a kiss onto her forehead before slowly creeping his lips down her nose to her mouth where he prised her open gently with his tongue. Nina whispered contently into his mouth as he backed her against the vanity. He needed to possess her, completely and entirely, right now, right here in Tig's place. He had to make sure she knew she was his, and remind himself why he was there.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N - Happy Sons night! It's double update day! Enjoy :)**

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><p>It didn't take much more than a look for everybody to clear out of the ice cream place on Main. Chibs smiled as he ushered Natasha into a booth beside him and gestured for Nina to sit, she smiled a little as she settled down and glanced over the menu. She wasn't very hungry but Natasha had been so entranced by the concept of an ice cream float that Chibs had insisted on taking her to Scoops almost immediately. The elderly waitress edged over, looking at the cut nervously as she held out her notepad.<p>

"We should just buy this place," Chibs mused absently. He looked up at the woman. "Vanilla ice cream float for this one, and a sundae. Two spoons," he added with a wink to Nina. "Please."

The waitress plodded away and Chibs reached across the table, taking Nina's hand in his own. He led it to his lips, kissing her knuckles lightly. Natasha watched them with a curious little frown, staring as she looked at their hands entwined. She pushed her lower lip out for a moment before murmuring,

"Emily says that you like her Da more than my Da."

Chibs frowned, he didn't like hearing that at all. There was an awkward silence as the waitress put down the order on the table and Nina waited for her to leave before she ventured an answer. She gave Chibs a smile, trying to pacify him. "Emily's Da and I are friends, we've been friends for a long time, nothing more." She eyed Chibs steadily. "Nothing more."

Natasha thought on it for a moment before smiling and leaning her head against Chibs. "Is that because you like my Da more?"

Her logic was flawless, she had to give her that. She looked adorable as she buried her straw into her drink and sucked it, screwing up her nose as the cold fizz hit her. Chibs chuckled and kissed the top of her head as he kept his eyes on Nina, waiting for her to answer.

"Yes, I do." She stared him down, unflinching. "I love your Da more than anything."

"You do?"

Chibs didn't know what to say when she said something like that. Natasha bounced on the seat with excitement and took another big slurp from her drink. "And he's the prince, right? In the story?" Nina blushed and Chibs tilted his head as he looked at her.

"What story?"

Nina could feel herself turning a deeper red as she waved her hand. "It's nothing, it's just something I used to tell her at bed time," she murmured, sure that she couldn't be more embarrassed if she tried. Natasha kicked her legs excitedly.

"Tell Da, tell him the story." She tugged on Chibs' cut. "You want to hear the story, don't you?"

"I most certainly do," Chibs chuckled, dropping his arm around her shoulder as he ate a spoonful of cream. "Tell us the story, Ma."

Nina groaned and put her hand to her head melodramatically. Natasha giggled and clapped her hands excitedly as Nina coloured, not wanting to look at Chibs as she started to speak. "Well, there was once a young girl who-"

"She was a princess!" Natasha announced before clapping her hand over her mouth. Nina laughed.

"Yes, she was a princess, but she didn't really know it. She lived all alone, and one day she had to come back to her Daddy because she needed some help because there was a horrible monster trying to find her." Natasha squeezed Chibs' arm tightly in excitement. "And when she was in her Daddy's kingdom, there were all sorts of monsters who scared the princess, but, even in the scariest moments, there was a prince who loved her." She swallowed, unsure if she should keep talking. She ventured a look over at Chibs and he was staring at her with a lost sort of look. "And even though they couldn't always see it, the prince and the princess loved each other very much. Even when it was hard. Even when it was impossible."

Chibs could feel his chest pulling towards her as his heart started to beat faster. With every word, she grew more beautiful, he was sure of it. He could see her face lighting up as she told Natasha the story and he glanced at his daughter as Nina carried on.

"And then one day the princess had to live in a different kingdom, just for a while, because she had helped slay a monstrous dragon and the people wanted her to help them too." She gulped as she looked at Chibs shyly. "And the prince gave the princess the most beautiful present, and he told her she couldn't open it for a little while. And when she did…"

"It was me!" Natasha sprung up with excitement and leapt on Chibs, throwing her arms around his neck with glee. He was sure he was going to cry, he was damn sure of it. He could see Nina trying not to, and she waved her hand in front of her face, hoping to keep the tears away. She forced a smile as she slid out of her seat and headed to the bathroom, she needed to get herself together. Chibs felt himself sigh a long breath he hadn't even realised he was holding, and Natasha cuddled up to him excitedly. "It's a good story, right?"

"It's great," he murmured softly, giving her some of his ice cream. "I loved it."

"Ma's always loved you, she used to tell me all the time," Natasha offered. "She used to send Galen away all the time, because she was waiting to come back to you."

Chibs twisted around as he heard the front doorbell of the shop open. He groaned as he saw a young police officer walk in and he sunk down in his seat as he saw Althea walk in behind the guy. She pulled off her sunglasses as she saw him there, she must have recognised his bike - or just taken the chance that it was him. She smiled as she walked over, spotting the empty seat on the opposite side of the table and sliding in to sit across from him.

"Hey." Her foot edged up against his leg beneath the table, and Chibs sat up quickly, trying to pull away from her. She frowned at his jumpy reaction and then looked at Natasha. "Hello there."

"Hello." Tash's thick Irish accent was impossible to deny, Jarry heard it instantly. She looked at the little girl carefully before glancing back to Chibs.

"This is your little girl?"

He grimaced. "Aye. Natasha. This is Sheriff Jarry." He pointed to the badge and said pointedly, "She's a police officer."

Natasha had been taught from an early age what that meant. She stared at Jarry for a moment before turning her eyes back to her drink and focusing her attention on that instead. Jarry, on the other hand, wasn't giving up so easily. She leaned down to catch Natasha's eye. "It must be nice to see your Dad, right Natasha?" The child nodded and Althea smiled as she looked at Chibs. "I thought it was nice too."

"Stop it," Chibs said quietly, his eyes narrowing. "None of that."

"Where are you from, Natasha?" she asked, ignoring Chibs' warning. "You don't sound like you're from America. Are you from Dublin?"

She pulled at her ear absently for a moment. "Belfast," she said, unable to not correct her. Chibs slipped down even lower, covering his face with his hand. Althea smiled as she rested her elbows on the table and dipped her finger in Nina's sundae, licking it off as her eyes focused on Chibs. Chibs tried not to watch her, instead keeping an eye on the door as he waited for Nina to return.

"You need to go," he said firmly.

"I thought you said you didn't know anything about the IRA being in town?" Jarry wasn't stupid, she already knew that the reason Natasha was even here was linked to the Irish. Tash frowned at Chibs and stood up on the seat, leaning into his ear as she whispered,

"I don't like her."

He was so distracted by Natasha's statement that he barely noticed Nina standing at the table, her hands on her hips as she looked at Althea with a long, withering gaze. Natasha could see the look in Nina's eyes, she shrank away quickly, pressing herself against the wall before hiding herself beneath the table quickly. Chibs had barely noticed she had gone before Nina turned on him.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend, Filip?"

She sounded American, sure, but Althea could hear that light hint of Irish in her accent that a few years away had tinged her with. She couldn't help her lips from curling into a smile, a little content, teasing grin as her foot brushed against Chibs' leg. Natasha saw it and scowled furiously before grabbing Jarry's ankle fiercely and slamming it away from her father. Althea yelped and looked underneath the table as Natasha chose the better of two evils and clambered up onto the seat.

"You little-" Jarry frowned, following her with a dark scowl on her face. She stood up and smirked at Nina, her eyes rolling over her quickly. The scars were tell-tale, she was clearly trouble and highly likely to be associated with SAMCRO by default. "Althea Jarry, San Joaquin Sheriff." Nina's nostrils flared, this was the woman Chibs had been with last night. She eyed Jarry suspiciously.

"Making friends, Sheriff?" She kept her cool as she sat down in her seat again and motioned for Natasha to come and sit next to her. Natasha did, hiding next to her mother as she glared at Althea with a nasty little expression in her eyes.

"We're old friends, aren't we, Filip?" Althea's lip twitched, she knew it would be enough to cause trouble and that was all she needed. She patted his shoulder. "We can pick this up later," she added, leaving her hand on him just long enough to irritate Nina. "You should call me, when you've finished your playdate." She smiled, tilting her head towards Nina. "Great meeting you."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N - Ooh, Jarry, you are a bit of trouble, aren't you? Is there any length she won't go to to get her way?**

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><p>"What are you doing?"<p>

There wasn't a lot Chibs liked less than being pushed around, and by a woman made it all the worse. So when Nina had stormed out with Natasha in tow, taking her to Nero's and refusing Chibs' interaction with her daughter, he had been absolutely furious. Showing up at the police station wasn't exactly what he wanted to do, but he knew it was the only way Althea would listen. He had taken the rough pad down, he'd had his weapons removed and now he stood there, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at her at her desk.

Jarry stood up leisurely and paced around her office, twisting the blinds and dropping them to shield the space from inquisitive eyes. Chibs felt a shiver run down his back as she turned the lock on the door.

"What do you mean?" she asked innocently. She edged him towards the desk and Chibs felt the backs of his legs hit the wood nervously. His hand shot back to support himself as she sidled up closer to him, enjoying the power she had over him. She bit her lip playfully but Chibs skidded out of her grip cautiously.

"You had no right." His eyes narrowed as he stepped away from her. "You don't play games with my daughter, Althea, that's the end of that discussion."

She smiled as she tilted her head, eyeing him up like a piece of prey. "What about your girlfriend? Can I play games with her?" She raised an eyebrow. "I'll even let you watch."

Chibs shook his head, he needed to put an end to this and now. "You stop it," he said, squaring up to her. His tall build dwarfed her and he looked down at her. If he didn't know she'd enjoy it so much, he'd slam her against the damn wall and put his hands around her throat. "You don't mess with my family. And they're both my family," he said clearly. "This, what happened, it's done, it's all done. Now it's just business, an exchange of information so we can both move forward."

"I like it when you move forward." Her voice was almost breathless as she spoke, pressing herself back against him as her fingers pulled at the collar of her shirt. Chibs growled and slapped her hand away, pointing a finger in her face.

"No," he repeated, like she was a dog. "Don't go near either of them, I'm serious."

Althea smiled at that and pursed her lips. "What are you going to do, Filip? Teach me a lesson I'll never forget?" She posed, showing the curve of her ass to him, daring him to slap it. Even beneath those damn uniform pants, he could see her body, she may as well have been as naked as he had seen her the night before. He knew what she was taunting him with.

"That's enough," he muttered, wiping the corners of his mouth with his finger and thumb. "We're done here. Next month, I'll have someone else drop the money off, after that it's intel only, I don't want any blurred lines here, Ally." He gave her a tight smile. "I'm going to do right by my girls."

He unlocked the door and strode out, full of the confidence that he knew he should have. Althea sighed as she sat on the edge of her desk, staring after him for a moment as she bit on the tip of her thumb. Jeez, this woman had really got into his head, that was clear. She pulled out Nina's file, it didn't say much other than making it clear she was the daughter of a Charming resident and that she had one child listed. Jarry looked over the file again and frowned as she tapped Emily's name beneath her finger and dragged her nail across to a different name. Alexander Trager.

"Eglee?" She looked up as the blonde officer wheeled around the corner. "Could you give me a file for Alex Trager?"

"It'll be on the top," Eglee pointed out. "SAMCRO. He goes by Tig. Dark hair, blue eyes."

Jarry opened the file and thumbed the picture that stared back at her, diffident and with that couldn't-give-a-fuck smirk. The guy looked like an asshole, she was already sure of that. "You know much about him? Him and Nina Padilla?"

Eglee shrugged. "They have a daughter, not much more than that. Sons don't really share their business with us," she added with a slight smile. "You're more likely to get blood out of a stone."

She wheeled her chair back to her desk and Althea flicked the file in her hands for a moment. Pacing around to her seat at the desk, she tapped her fingers on it for a moment before typing in the name 'Emily Trager' into the search box on her files. When nothing came up, she replaced it with 'Emily Padilla' and a little window shot up, listing Emily's school and registered home address - the same as Tig's. Althea smiled. She wouldn't have to go after one of Chibs' 'girls' after all.

There was no principal in the whole of California who would refuse an impromptu visit from a Sheriff. Althea put on her best fake smile as she paced into St Annabel's and gazed down at the tiny little chairs lining the corridor. Her nostrils flared a little as she saw little Emily sitting in one of the seats, swinging her legs innocently as she read a book and waited patiently for the teacher to call her in. Jarry smiled as she crouched down in front of her.

"And what's your name, young lady?" she asked, being as sweet as she could. Emily looked at her and recognised the badge on her arm before her dark little eyebrows furrowed.

"You're not Sheriff Roosevelt," she said sharply. Althea grimaced.

"No, I'm not, but I'm a friend of your father's. And Chibs'," she added with a little smile. "My name's Althea."

Emily pursed her lips for a moment before rolling her eyes nonchalantly and shrugging. "Emily."

"Emily Padilla, isn't it?" She nodded slowly. "Padilla, that name's unusual. Where is it from?" Emily didn't say anything, and Althea wondered how else she should press the conversation. "It's Spanish, right? But your father's not Spanish. You don't have your Daddy's name?"

Emily scowled at that. "Mom gave me hers. But I'm a Trager really, Daddy says so." Her blue eyes sparkled as she said it and Althea could feel a frightening sort of energy vibrating from the child in front of her. She rubbed her lower lip with her thumb.

"And your Mom lives with your Dad, right?"

Again, the question seemed to get under Emily's skin. "My Mom lives in Ireland." She frowned as she kicked her legs again, catching Jarry's knee as she did. Jarry stood up, these kids were impossible. She thumbed her belt for a moment before offering,

"It must be nice to see her while she's in Charming." Emily shrugged and looked down at her shoes.

"I guess. She's always busy with work."

Althea smiled. "What does she do?" Emily suddenly sat up, staring at her hard.

"I don't think I want to talk to you any more," she said sharply. She studied Althea carefully, committing her features to memory so that she could relay the conversation to Tig when she got picked up from school. "You can talk to my Daddy if you need anything else."

The Sheriff froze in disbelief. As if this little nine year old had just slapped her down like that, she may as well have just called for a lawyer. She frowned, Emily was buttoning up. She has crossed her arm over her body defiantly and was continuing to read her book. Jarry pulled a face, she was not about to lose her momentum, no way. She just needed one more thing, one small thing to link Nina to one of the main names in the IRA would be perfect. She looked at Emily's things and spotted her doll peeking out of the top of her bag. She nodded towards it.

"I like your doll."

Emily's face suddenly lit up as she pulled it out proudly. "My sister brought it for me, it's from Belfast. I gave her my rabbit instead." She waved the raggedy little patchwork doll around excitedly before sitting it on her bag again. Althea tried to think, there had to be something.

"Have you ever been to Belfast?" she ventured. Emily stilled a little and then nodded.

"Just to see Mom's friends," she murmured. "Then she had to stay with them and we came home." She glanced up at the wall as the bell started to ring. "I have to go now."

She slipped off her seat and careered down the hallway. Jarry stared after her, wondering what she meant by that, but she was sure that the Irish 'friends' would be all sorts of colourful characters. She just needed a name, that was all. Maybe she could trip Natasha over one, but she was determined to pin Nina to the IRA and clear her out of town. Maybe she could kill two birds with one stone by locking up Chibs' little Irish princess.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N - Oh dear, things aren't going well and Nina's about to lose it...**

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><p>Emily hated it when Tig didn't pick her up from school. She dragged her heels as she saw the van waiting, that always meant it was a different Son, not her father. She had a little petulant pout on her lips as she started towards the vehicle, which only eased as she saw Juice jump down from the driver's seat. Her eyes lit up, Juice had always been her favourite. He was the one that danced with her and made her giggle, he always made the time, no matter how busy he was, and she adored him.<p>

"Hey pretty lady," he said, bowing exaggeratedly as he opened the door for her. He took her bag and gave her a hand up into the front seat beside him. "How was school?"

"Same old." Emily had long ago learned not to try and explain her school day to the family, they were never really interested. Books and science and math weren't what they wanted to hear about. A good fist fight in the playground, that was their favourite kind of conversation. "Had a police officer come and talk to us today." Juice raised an eyebrow as he turned the van on.

"A police officer? Stranger danger and that stuff?"

Emily rolled her eyes, she'd heard that enough from the club. Don't talk to people you don't know, never go with anyone who's not white unless it's Grandpa, Happy or Juice. "No, it was just me." Juice looked down at her in confusion and she shrugged. "The Sheriff, she was asking about Daddy, I didn't tell her anything though."

"Your Dad?" Juice knew that couldn't be good, but at least Tig had been keeping his nose clean recently. "What did she want to know about your Dad?"

"If he and Mom were together." The conversation seemed to upset her as she said that. "I told her Mom was away, she was asking all sorts of questions. I didn't like it, I told her she should talk to him."

That sounded like a very sensible answer. Juice gave her approving thumbs up and she gave him a fist bump as they turned into the lot. She scrambled to get her stuff together as Juice hurtled out of the van and whistled at Tig, summoning him instantly. "Hey, brother, we need to talk." Tig frowned and abandoned his customer as he crossed. Emily gave him a wave as she headed into the clubhouse with her homework, Chuckie would be waiting with the after school PB and J and she was starving. Tig watched her go and frowned.

"What's her problem?"

Juice leaned close and muttered conspiratorially, "Althea Jarry went to talk to her at school. About Nina."

Tig's expression went from confused to furious in less then two seconds. "She _what_?" His expression was dark, Juice knew it was worse than that, it was downright dangerous. Tig started towards the club quickly and Juice grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Don't, she's upset as it is," he said. He quickly filled Tig in on the little that Emily had told him and he saw his face growing even greyer. "What's she doing, sniffing around the kids? Emily's nine, she's not exactly some sort of reliable witness, we keep club shit away from her for that exact reason."

"It's not the club," Tig sniffed, wiping his nose on the back of his sleeve. "It's Nina she's interested in." It didn't take him more than a moment to put together, Jarry wanted Chibs and Nina was in the way. He wiped his hand down over his mouth, pulling on his lips as he did. "Shit, this is bad." He could feel the anger boiling within him, that bitch had deliberately isolated his daughter and tried to get her to rat over something. "I'll kill her."

"You can't," Juice said, trying to calm him quickly. "Just, you should talk to Nina, make sure she knows." Tig was already nodding as he said it. "This bullshit, I don't know what's going on but we need to make sure our backs are covered. SAMCRO and the Irish. Shit blows up, it hits all of us."

Tig knew that well enough. After a moment, he flared his nostrils and nodded again. "Fine, okay." He forced a smile. "I better go tell Mom."

* * *

><p>It didn't take Jarry long to hear the raised voices in the hall as Nina barked orders at the desk clerk. The young guy was on his first day, he looked petrified as she leaned over the front desk and demanded that she be able to speak to Jarry in that instant. Despite the guy's protestations - and Eglee's encouragement that Nina just take a seat and wait - that woman had no intention of sitting around. Tig put his hands on her shoulders to try and calm her as she shouted again.<p>

"She's harassing a child. A child at school, during school hours. How the hell is that allowed?" She looked desperately around but there were no familiar faces left here, she had been gone too long to know any of the officers in the station. "I want to see her, and I want to see her now."

Althea walked out with a purposeful slowness, sipping a coffee casually as she came out into the hall. She looked at Nina with a moment of frank disinterest before eyeing Tig behind her. That was Alex Trager, for sure, if she hadn't remembered his face from the file, she could see his features in little Emily Padilla for sure.

"Who are you look for?" she asked teasingly. Nina jerked a furious finger at her and started towards her.

"You, you little-"

Tig put his arm around her, pulling her back. The last thing he needed was Nina in a fight, especially with the Sheriff. "Easy, baby," he said softly, trying to soothe her. Jarry watched the intimate way Tig touched her with a wry smile.

"Now now," she smirked, gesturing to the way Tig held her, his fingers pressing against Nina's waist. "Don't be rude."

"Rude?" Nina was almost spitting blood, she was so angry. "You went and you isolated my daughter, deliberately, with no reason at all. How dare you?" She slapped Tig away and charged towards Jarry, only to have Tig slip his hand into the back of her skirt and hold onto her. "Let go of me, Alex!"

"You need to calm down," Tig whispered, holding onto her. "She's just looking for a reason to sink you, you need to relax."

Althea motioned to her office. "Do you want to come in? Have a chat?" She gestured to the two chairs on the near side of her desk and, after a moment of hesitation, Nina took a deep breath and tried to control her fierce emotions as she walked in and took a seat. Tig closed his eyes for a moment, trying to pull himself together as he watched her go. All the frustration he had been feeling was ebbing away as he realised he needed to take care of her, Nina was feeling tempestuous.

Jarry slowly paced around her desk before taking a seat and looking at them both. Tig had reached across to hold on to Nina's hand, he was rubbing his thumb over her fingers, over a Reaper ring she wore proudly on her right middle finger. The way they were with each other was clearly exploitable, it would be something that bothered Chibs, she was already sure of it.

"Now what's the problem?"

Tig squeezed Nina's hand, trying to keep control of the conversation. "The problem is your little visit to our daughter, at school." Nina was about to snap but Tig stroked her arm, his fingers tickling the vein in her wrist, knowing that that always calmed her.

"The San Joaquin Police Department made every effort to connect with the children under their jurisdiction, you know that," Jarry murmured, trying to keep a straight face as she said it. "We're working on an outreach programme, to kids who might need advice outside of their families."

"Emmy doesn't need anything from you." Nina's words were firm and measured, she was already thinking of the best way she could make this woman disappear for good. "She has a family, she doesn't need you."

"I beg to differ," Althea said abruptly. "Emily's young, she's obviously terribly confused by whatever _this _is," she added, gesturing between them. "Her mother's not at home, shacked up with another man and another child, playing happy families? She doesn't know who to reach out to, that's not right, you must appreciate that. She needs stability."

Nina leaned forward and scowled. "You want to play Mom, Sheriff? Those ovaries so dry you can't make your own?"

Tig sniggered but Jarry's top lip curled into a snarl. "I'd rather not have any kids than whore around and have two by different fathers. Thanks." Tig took objection to that and opened his mouth to speak when Nina slammed her hands down on the arms of her seat furiously.

"You don't know anything," she growled angrily. "You don't go near my family again, Sheriff."

Althea smiled wryly. "I don't know what your problem with me is, Ms Padilla. If this is about Chibs-"

"Fuck Chibs!" Nina spat. Jarry smiled at that, smoothing a stray hair back from her face and shrugging casually.

"I already did," she murmured, a grin on her face like a cat with the cream. "Oh, wait, I'm not sure that's what you meant."

Tig couldn't move fast enough to stop Nina from exploding as she launched across the desk, grabbing Jarry by the back of the head and slamming her face down into the desk. Tig wrestled her back quickly, but it was too late, Althea's nose was swollen and bloody as she looked up at her, a hateful look in her eyes as she stared at Nina. A couple of officers barged in and she pointed at Nina.

"Take her in," she demanded furiously. "Him too."

Tig's hands shot up quickly. "What? No, I didn't do a damn thing." Jarry had a dangerous glint in her eye as she nodded, reinforcing her order, and both of them were bundled towards the holding cells.

"Let them calm down," she demanded. "Dry out, let them leave tomorrow morning." She smiled as she leaned close to Nina as she added, "Don't worry, Ms Padilla, I'll keep your old man warm tonight."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N - Hey team! This one is must loving us on a little bit, putting Nina's situation in context with the club... Jarry and Chibs up in the next one!**

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><p>Natasha squealed with excitement as Nero swung his car into the Teller Morrow at speed. For a little girl, she had been in her fair share of car chases and speed-driving but there was something she loved about Grandpa the gangster, and Nero loved to put on a show. He made the car bounce a little and looked at the delight on Tash's face.<p>

"You are too cute," he chuckled. She beamed up at him and he sighed, how had he missed so much of this little girl's life? Nina's contact had been sparse, he knew it was difficult but he couldn't help feeling he had lost out.

"You are too!" she echoed chirpily, making his heart melt. "Are we going to see Emily?"

Nero laughed, she was so obsessed with Emily. "Yeah, she's here," he said, gesturing to the club. "Come on, we can go get her now, go see your uncle Lucius, maybe."

He swept Natasha up and tossed her on his shoulder as he got her out of the car and carried her through to the club. Emily was sitting cuddled close with Thomas on the couch while Tara told them both a story. Abel, disinterested, was wrestling with his Dad while Happy pointed out his mistakes to make him tighter. Nobody really looked up at Nero's presence and he put Tash down on her feet carefully.

"There you go," he said. He looked around for either Tig or Chibs but neither were there. "Where's your Dad?"

Natasha scowled. "He said he was going to see the lady from the ice cream shop," she muttered crossly. "I didn't like her, Grandpa, she was very mean. Kept touching Da in front of Ma and making Ma get mad."

Nero swallowed. "What lady, sweetheart?"

"The police officer," Tash replied. Emily had seen her and was waving while Thomas stared at her awkwardly. "She kept saying things about spending time with Da, was trying to ask me about Ireland. I didn't like it."

She slipped away to join Emily and Nero stood, his hand on his hip in annoyance. He frowned after her and pulled out his phone instantly, he was going to give Chibs a piece of his goddamn mind. When he didn't get an answer, he looked around for the nearest person he could take out his frustrations on and spotted Jax getting back up to his feet from Abel's choke hold.

"You." Nero pointed at him furiously. "Where's your Prez, mano?"

Jax felt the way Nero's eyes roamed over the 'prospect' badge on his cut and he tried to hold his own, knowing everyone in that room was watching his behaviour carefully. Tara extricated herself from the children to go over.

"Hey, Nero," she said, trying to soften him with her smile. Nero and Jax hadn't seen eye-to-eye for a long, long time but neither of them had been in the clubhouse together for a similarly long period. "How are you?"

Nero managed to hold his temper as Abel stared up at him from between his parents. He forced a smile, he hated them, all of them, but kept it together. Gemma always begged him to, now was a good chance to show he could.

"Fine," he said with an uneasy sort of calm. "Just need a word with the boss."

"What about?" Jax ventured but Nero shut him down with one withering look.

"None of your business. You keep out of my family business," he said. He heard Emily giggle and looked past Jax as Thomas pushed a kiss on her cheek in front of Natasha. His face grew dark and he moved across the room, scooping up his grandchild quickly and motioning for Tash to come with him. "Talk to your boy, huh? Padillas and Tellers, we don't mix no more, I don't want any of that shit, understand?"

Before Tara could object, he led the two girls outside back towards the car. As he did, Gemma happened to come out of the TM office and looked at him, waving for his attention.

"Hey Grandpa," she called with a teasing wink. "Can I come?"

Nero sighed as he looked at her, he could never be mad at Gemma, however much the rest of the Tellers repulsed him. "Ah, Grandma, I'm not sure. Just pulled our young lovers apart," he murmured, motioning to a sulky-looking Emily. Gemma bent around him to look at her.

"Come on," she said, resting her hand on his arm. "I want to get to know the new little one." She waved at Natasha who cheerfully waved back, trusting her grandfather's friend in an instant. Nero smiled, thinking she was making an effort.

"Okay," Nero nodded. "Just for a little while though. I have to get them back to Tig's for eight or Nina'll kill me."

* * *

><p>Tig flung himself down onto the bench like a stroppy teenager and slumped down, his head against the wall as the officer slammed the metal gate shut. Nina was vibrating with anger as she stood, her hands wrapped around the bars, staring out at the hall and making the guard's balls shrink with just the expression in her eyes. The kid grimaced and edged out as far as he could, the woman in that cell was scary as hell. Seeing her tension, Tig whistled at her.<p>

"Come here," he insisted, patting the seat beside him. "We're not going anywhere for a while."

When she didn't move, he groaned and dragged himself up to his feet, lumbering over to her and putting his arms around her. Nina snapped, swinging her fist at him in an absolute rage and hurling him at the wall in a bid to get him off her.

"Fuck you!" she barked, trying to hold herself together. "Fuck you, and fuck your asshole Prez, and fuck everything about this whole goddamn shithole of a town." She rattled the gate. "I need to call my daughter, you have to let me call her." She continued to shake the metal door but to no avail, she was simply ignored. Tig swallowed, he had never seen her like this, caged and on the edge of a breakdown.

"Hey," he said, wrinkling his nose to try and ease the pain. She didn't respond and he grabbed her hand, firmer now. "Hey." As he pulled her to him, she burst into tears as he crushed her head into his chest, supporting her weight as he felt her knees beginning to weaken beneath her. "Jesus, Nina, I'm sorry."

She didn't mean to cry. She didn't want to, either, she had spent a long time alone, crying, trying to keep herself and her family safe and in one piece by doing whatever was demanded of her. Tig's arms around made her feel protected but she couldn't help but feel torn to shreds by the whole damn situation.

"Maybe I romanticised it," she sobbed into him, her eyes closed as her tears leaked into the flannel of his shirt and soaked his skin. "I spent so long, Alex, so long out there on my own. I thought he loved me, I was so sure we were good. All that time, it was the thing that kept me going." Tig felt his grip tighten, it didn't seem fair that she felt so in love with someone so indifferent to her. What he wouldn't give to have the passion she felt for Chibs deflected to him.

"Don't think about him," Tig insisted. "We just gotta get out of here, that's all."

"I always knew you'd be okay with Emily," she murmured, her lips brushing his chest as she spoke. "I never even worried about that, I knew you'd be good with her. And then, shit, Tig, I was pregnant and on my own and I spent the whole damn six years in this fucking fantasy land I created for Tash and-" She flapped her hand in front of her eyes to try and stop herself from crying any more, but Tig simply stared at her, sure he'd never seen her look so damn beautiful as tears streaked down her face, running along the scar on her cheek in a channel.

"I didn't know," he said quietly. He couldn't even imagine how hard it had been, since the day he'd met her she had been tortured and isolated, partly at his own hand but now, he simply felt awful about all of it. "I didn't know about any of it. That bitch, she just turned up, just yesterday."

"And he spent the night with her. I didn't realise they even..." She laughed, shaking her head. All damn night she had been easing Tig's eager flirtations with the simple premise that she didn't want to hurt Chibs. "Guess you should have just had me last night after all."

He growled a little at that, his lip twitching into a smile. "Don't tease me like that, baby," he murmured. "You'll give me ideas."

She gave him another smack and he grinned as he pulled her close again, ploughing her with kisses all along her neck as she scrabbled against him. "Get off me," she said, keeping her tone as light as she could. Part of her just wanted to give in, just to spite Chibs, but the more sensible part of her eased him back. "I was joking."

"That bastard has no idea," he snarled, annoyed. Even now, even knowing Chibs was a cheating, lying asshole, she was still trying to keep some sort of respect for him. "What are you, stupid? Don't wait for him, he didn't wait for you."

She pressed her lips together furiously, suppressing the anger within her. "And what? You did?" She saw the shy way he looked down and rolled his eyes. "We weren't together when I left, Alex. We hadn't been together for a long time. I didn't expect you to wait for me, why would you? But him..." She shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I thought we were good."

That's what frustrated him, Tig had thought the same. Chibs had been so enormously excited to have her home, especially with Natasha, so why he'd do something so stupid was beyond him. He sat down again, arching his fingers as he stared at Nina's form as she leaned herself back against the bars, trying to get herself together again.

"Forget about him, he doesn't deserve you." God, what he wouldn't do to show her how he felt in that moment. Locked together, they hadn't been this isolated since she had been to visit him in Stockton. He smiled at the thought and stood up, taking her hand again. He rubbed his thumb over his ring on her finger. "I love you," he ventured. She opened her mouth to object and he waved his hand. "Not like that. Just, love you. Care about you." He stroked her cheek. "That guy is a cunt, straight up, moronic idiot cunt."

She giggled at that and he smoothed his hand against her cheek, pushing a sweet, platonic kiss on her lips as he leaned his forehead to hers.

"You don't need that shit, Nina. Nobody should treat you like that." He laughed at himself. "I mean, I know I did, once, but Jesus you have no idea how I regret it. But..." He stroked her hair back from her face. "At least we're friends now, right?" She nodded slowly and he gave her a playful poke. "And maybe fuckbuddies?" She laughed and gave him another thump and he grinned, letting go of her. "No?"

She rolled her eyes. "You're an idiot."

"But that doesn't matter," he assured her. "Because I love you, and you love me, and we love our kids, and that's the end of it all." Nina nodded, comforted by his assurances, and Tig grinned. "Irish'll be all over this shit, they're probably getting you out right now. You don't worry about a thing, the right people have got your back. And Chibs?" He shook his head. "Chibs has got what's coming to him. Syphilis, probably," he added with a wink. "So don't think about him any more, okay?"


	13. Chapter 13

Nero had always loved every moment he spent with Lucius, but seeing him playing with Natasha and Emily, two little girls who saw their uncle with nothing but pure love and adoration, filled his heart with warmth. He smiled as he watched them, Tash was drawing pictures for him to put in his room while Emily chattered away about school. Gemma could see that proud look in Nero's eyes and rested her arm around him.

"Quite the ladies' man," she teased, kissing his cheek. Nero sighed and nodded, Lucius would have been far worse a charmer than him if he had been able to.

"He's a good kid," he nodded. "There's, like, purity? You know?" He tapped his chest, his knuckles knocking his scar. "In here."

Gemma smiled at that, it was a lovely thing to say. "Must be a Padilla trait." Nero laughed.

"Yeah. Latin blood, that's all, mama." He looked at them for another long moment before turning to face Gemma. His fingers linked in with hers, squeezing her hand gently in his own. "I didn't mean to lose my shit at the club. About Em and Thomas. They're, like, nine." He shook his head. "She looks so like Nina, makes me nervous, you know? I was never around for her, I gotta keep an eye on them, especially when the Dads aren't there."

Gemma leaned her head against his shoulder as he watched them protectively, that was almost all of his family right there, young and supportive of each other. She felt her heart skip a beat, it was exactly what she expected of the club, of her own boys. Thank God girls didn't do MCs.

"What do you think of Nina's new job?" Gemma ventured. Nero's face grew serious as she said it and he broke his gaze away from the children.

"Not so new to me, I've known since she left." Gemma glared at him, he had never mentioned it, not once. "You never asked, don't give me that look."

"That's quite a big thing for the club." Gemma couldn't hide her tone, she was pissed. That kind of knowledge would have got Jax through that prospect cut and back into a full patch pretty quickly. "You know she's a liability, right?"

Any softness Nero was feeling towards Gemma started to dissipate. "She's not here for you or for Jax, she's in town for Emily. You leave that bad blood shit behind, Gem. She's my daughter, that's the only noun you get to use for her, got it?"

She wanted to push it but knew better and nodded after a moment of tension. "Fine," she said with a frown. "So just Emily, huh? Not Chibs?"

Nero pushed his lower lip out. "Maybe I should ask you. You heard much about this new Sheriff?"

"Jarry?" Gemma raised an eyebrow, Unser had mentioned a few things, but not much. "Nothing. Hot woman in the Charming PD. Just hope she doesn't end up like the last one," she added with a dark chuckle. Nero didn't want to know, he shook his head.

"Her and Chibs. Seeing eye-to-eye?"

She shrugged. "She's barely just on the job. Why?"

Nero looked over at Natasha thoughtfully, the conversation earlier had obviously been upsetting but he could do with more. Maybe he should just bite the bullet and take a visit to the SAMCRO prez himself. "Don't worry about it, mama," he said coolly. He whistled to the girls. "Ladies, come on, we better get back, say goodbye to your uncle Lucius, huh?"

He watched proudly as Natasha and Emily ploughed Lucius with kisses, making him giggle shyly as they hugged him goodbye. Nero led them out to the car and made sure they were both strapped in before driving around to Tig's place to drop Emily home. He frowned as he saw the place with the lights out, looking empty.

"You arranged to meet him?" Gemma asked, going to knock and returning when nobody answered. Nero nodded with a frown and looked at his phone but he had nothing about a change of plan. He turned around to the back to see the two girls had fallen asleep like a pair of beautiful little dolls, holding hands as their heads leaned together.

He drove past Nina's only to see the Irish cars lined up out the front. Nero shook his head, even if Nina was happy to leave the girls there, he sure wasn't. He pulled a face, other than the club, he only had one choice. Maybe he could kill two birds with one stone.

Gemma glanced across at him as he turned into Chibs' street. Why she had a sudden rise in panic she wasn't sure, maybe it was the aborted conversation about Jarry still bothering her but she kept her counsel and sat quietly beside him. It didn't take her more than a second to recognise the strange car on the drive.

"Maybe we should call first," she said quickly but Nero could already see why she was deflecting. He parked up sharply and launched out of the car before Gemma could stop him, and stomped up the driveway before hammering his fist furiously on the door.

"Open the goddamn door, Telford," he demanded. He could hear Chibs swearing gruffly and the sound of chairs scraping. Chibs appeared at the door, looking dishevelled and frustrated.

"Nero." He peered behind him towards the car and swallowed. "Nina with you?"

Nero's nostrils flared slightly. "No, but I got Tash here, Em too. Just looking for Tig." Chibs pouted and Nero tried to look past him. "Can I come in?"

"Now's not a great time." Chibs partially closed the door again and frowned. "Sorry." Nero snorted.

"So I'll just babysit your kid until you're done, huh?" He gestured back towards the car, irritated by Chibs' evasive, awkward behaviour. It was clear he had company, that was for sure.

"Call Nina," Chibs said abruptly. "I'm really trying to deal with something right now."

"Someone, more like." Nero didn't wait this time, he gave the door a shove and pushed it back. Althea Jarry stared back at him with a coy sort of smile as she poured herself a glass of wine and lifted it towards Nero. She was barefoot, looking all too comfortable in Chibs' place.

"Are you joining us?"

"No, he's not." Chibs could feel his heart sinking, he had spent almost an hour already trying to convince her to leave and now she was making her damn self at home. "And you should go too."

Jarry laughed as she looked over Nero. She had done her homework, she knew that was Nina's father and Natasha's grandfather immediately. "But we were just getting started," she murmured, holding the glass to her lips for a long moment before taking a gulp. "Can we help you in some way?"

Nero could feel his blood boiling as he turned on Chibs. "What is this, mano?"

"Nothing," Chibs insisted. "Just settling old debts." Jarry's lips curled into a smile but Nero wasn't having it. He slammed his palms into Chibs roughly, knocking him back against the wall with a thud. Chibs growled and slapped Nero's hand away hard, only to receive a nasty punch in the face before Althea got between them, easing Nero back.

"Don't make me arrest you too," she chuckled, giving him a shove towards the door. "I hate working when I'm off duty."

Nero looked at Chibs in disgust and spat on the floor at his feet. "You don't deserve that little girl out there, I'm going to make sure you never get a damn look in." He sneered at Jarry. "Maybe she can give you what you want, huh?"

Before Chibs could answer, Nero stormed out and slammed the door behind him. He paced angrily to the car and slipped back into his seat to see Gemma waiting anxiously.

"Maybe we're babysitting tonight, mama," he said quietly. "Hopefully my babygirl's out doing something just as fun as that piece of shit."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N - Hey team! I've had a couple of people get in touch recently as they have gone back and read the whole trilogy so far and I just wanted to say an enormous, enormous thank you to those people and an even bigger one to those who have read with us all the way! I love writing this story, I love the characters and how confused and conflicted and ridiculous they all are with each other. ** **So thank you, for supporting me in this amazing opportunity to write.**

**And with that...** **enjoy!**

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><p>Nina couldn't sleep. She wanted to, desperately, but being locked in that damn cell made it impossible to relax enough to even close her eyes for more than a minute. Tig had given up hours ago and was sprawled out on the bench, his head in her lap as he purred contently, buried in the crease of her body. If she had been bothered, she would have told him it was completely inappropriate. Instead, she was just... lost.<p>

How the hell had all this happened? It was unlike her to lose her cool like that but damn, her reaction had been impossible to suppress. Just thinking about that smug look on Jarry's face made her furious even now, she pressed the heel of her palm to her heart to regulate her breathing again. Stupid bitch. Stupid, nasty, deceitful and manipulative bitch. She shook her head, how dare she?

Nina stopped and chided herself. It took two to tango, if what she had said was true, it was just as much Chibs' fault. It wasn't exactly like the woman would have strapped him down and given him a ride. She shook her head, no, she wasn't going to make excuses for him. This was on him too.

"Miss?" She looked up to see the nervous guard standing in the doorway. She didn't move but he pushed his hand through the bars, waving a phone at her before putting it carefully down on the floor. "There's an Irish guy upstairs, insisted on you getting this."

Nina waited for him to leave before she supported Tig's head as she reached for the phone. That was what the new team did, she guessed. She'd never been out in the field with them, not outside of Ireland, but they were clearly good at making connections. She retook her seat and stroked Tig's wild hair down, just like she used to do to Emily's. She sighed, what was she doing? Still going around and around in circles when she could commit to a good answer right here? She was an idiot, she was sure of it.

She flicked the phone open and kept her voice low as she dialled out. She could hear the panic in Nero's voice as he answered the call.

"Nina?"

"Hey, Daddy, it's me, it's okay." She grimaced, she could hear he was upset. "Are the girls with you?"

She heard him confer with someone for a moment before he answered. "Yeah, I'm with Gem, they're sleeping." He sighed. "Where are you? You gotta tell me if you're going AWOL with your IRA shit, babygirl, you know I worry."

Nina was shaking her head. "It's not like this was planned," she murmured. "I'm in Charming PD lock up. Bullshit assault charge." She rolled her eyes. "Bitch deserved it."

Nero groaned as she said it, come to think of it, Jarry had looked a little sore. "Let me guess. New Sheriff?" He heard Nina laugh and knew that was a yes. "She's pawing all over your man, babygirl."

Nina stood suddenly, her move sending Tig's head crashing against the bench as she got up. He yapped at the bump and scrambled to sit up quickly, staring at her accusingly but Nina was barely paying attention to him. "She's what?"

"I took the girls to Chibs'. She was there, looking awful cozy with him for a cop and an outlaw, Nina." Nero shook his head disapprovingly. "Something going on?"

"Nobody's told me," she muttered coldly. "She put me in lock up, with Tig." She laughed at the ridiculousness of it all, that woman was determined to get to Chibs by any means necessary, clearly. "Christ, she's fucking crazy."

Nero had a different concern. "Tig. He ain't touching you, right? Because I swear to God-"

"He's looking after me, Daddy," Nina said softly as she turned to look at Tig. He was sitting on the bench, his head in his hands, rubbing his temples as he tried to focus himself from his abrupt wake up. "We're okay." She forced a smile. "Just kiss the girls goodnight for me, I'll be out in the morning and come pick them up. Take care of them."

Nero smiled. "I always do, little mama. You do your thing." He sighed. "Take care of yourself, Nina, I love you."

She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall as she answered. "I love you too, Daddy. Thank you." She clicked off the call and looked at the phone in her hand, turning it around and around for a few moments. She wanted to call Chibs, she wanted to confront him, but she shook her head.

"Your Prez is one greedy son-of-a-bitch," she muttered, finally looking over at Tig. "He's with that nasty fucking cop. Again." She laughed, mostly at herself. "I can't believe I fell for it all over again."

Tig could see she was trying to laugh it away but she was defeated, her body language had all but given up. He stood and crossed the cell, putting his arms around her. Initially, it was just meant to be something for comfort but soon he found himself supporting her as she leaned on him heavily, her weight pressing down in his arms as she gave herself over to him.

"He's a prick," he said firmly. "And you're better than that. Don't teach our girls to keep going back to cheats and liars, Nina, that's not right. They don't need men like that, and neither do you."

There was something about the way he said it, with such a protective earnestness in his tone, that Nina gazed up at him and pushed a rough kiss onto his lips. Tig growled at the sudden and unexpected impact before taking control, pressing her back against the wall as he bit her lower lip. She murmured guiltily into his mouth, enjoying his embrace too much.

"This isn't fair on you," she said, easing back a little. Tig shook his head, he didn't care. He wanted her like he always wanted her, he didn't care about being second best, he would take any damn opportunity.

"Fair schmair," he shrugged. He stroked her hair. "Forget about him. You know me, if this is what you need, I'm here. I'm always here," he repeated, nuzzling her. She could feel him growing hard, his erection pressing tight against her and she laughed as her hand rested on his belt. They were close, too close, their words only distinguishable to each other.

"I can't keep doing this to you," she said, shaking her head but Tig stopped her from moving away. "I can't just come sobbing to you every time he's an asshole. It's shitty, Alex."

"I've done some pretty shitty things to you," he chuckled. "Like, loads. That first time we were together, I cut that coke I gave you with roofies." Nina's eyes widened as she glared at him, unable to believe what he had just said. Tig grimaced, he wasn't done. "And then I watched you fuck your asshole ex at that club in Nevada just to make sure you were okay."

"You watched me?" she asked, incredulous. Tig swallowed, damn it felt good to tell her these things. Maybe he should keep going.

"And then were you were going to get rid of Emily, I arranged for the fire alarm to go off. And that masked gunman? That was Juice." He gave her a hopeless smile as she absorbed all he was saying. "I was a real fucking bastard, what I did to you that first time. But I'd do anything to make us okay, to make sure you're alright."

"You're insane." Maybe it was because he was so intoxicatingly close to her, maybe it was because she was sleep deprived, but Nina blurted out, "Jax never attacked me in Belfast. I did this." She dragged her finger along the scar on her neck. "I did it to make sure he knew he couldn't mess with my family again."

Tig nodded, it was clearly a secret she had kept close to her heart and in their weird, private confessional, felt comfortable enough to tell him. He smirked and gave her a poke. "And you think I'm crazy." They both were, it was the only answer. Nina opened her mouth but shut it again as Tig pressed himself against her. "Let's just... forget about everyone else, just for a little while." His lip twitched. "If we weren't in a goddamn police cell, the things I would do to you right now..."

She laughed and kissed his cheek, her lips just straying onto his. "I think I need to focus on my girls right now," she murmured, nibbling his jawline. "And me. Maybe just me for a while."

They jumped apart at the sound of keys on the door. Jarry swung by with a cocky little look on her lips as she looked condescendingly up and down at Nina.

"This looks nice and intimate," she said, rubbing her hand along the bar. "You can go, now you've calmed down."

Nina held her head high as she strode out. She gazed at Althea with distaste, looking at the little bit of white tape on her nose.

"You should have at least used some of your evening to have Filip set that, it'll be wonky forever. Just so you know for next time. And there will be a next time." She gave her a sharp smile and reached for Tig's hand, holding it defiantly in front of Althea. "Come on, Alex. Let's go see our girls."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N - Hi guys! Wishing you a happy Monday, may you have a better day than Chibs today :) I'm still loving writing this, and I still can't believe how Chibs vs Tig you guys are split! Let me know who you're rooting for, because Chibs'll need some serious help to win Nina around after this...**

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><p>Nina slipped out to the Irish car as she arrived at Gemma's house. As she padded up the drive, Tig right behind her, she could hear unending laughter all the way up the path and it made her smile to hear Natasha so full of glee. She knocked twice, and Nero pulled it open with a grin on his face. He had an apron on and was covered in flour, much to the girls' amusement, and he beamed as he welcomed her in.<p>

"How was your night?" he asked, motioning to the disgruntled look on both of their faces. Nina forced a smile as she kissed his cheek and beckoned towards Tig, taking his hand as she tugged him in behind her.

"I've slept in more comfortable places," she said with a frown. "Like, I don't know, that time we slept outside in the woods in the rain with no tent because Mom was mad at you."

Nero's lip twitched, he loved that she was holding on to her sense of humour. He gestured for them to sit at the long table where the four young children were sitting together at one end, chatting away as they ate a shared stack of pancakes. Tig slumped himself down in his usual seat and watched as Nina poured them both coffee and came to join him. Nero returned to the stove, pretending to be some sort of fancy Italian chef to make the kids laugh as he flipped more pancakes for them.

"You want-a some break-a-fast?" he called out to Nina. Natasha snorted on her milk as she giggled at him and slipped out of her seat, crossing to her mother.

"You didn't kiss me goodnight last night," she said sulkily, tugging at Nina's arm. "And you smell funny."

"Ma had a hard night, Tash," Nina replied, kissing her forehead hard. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, I'll be there tonight, I promise." Natasha nodded and pulled at her hair for a moment before she added,

"Da wasn't there either. You said one of you would always be there."

Tig could see Nina struggling to control her anger and he put his hand on hers carefully, trying to calm her with just his touch. "Your Ma just had to do some work last night, Tash. Unexpected. And your Da…" He trailed off, he didn't want to be making excuses for Chibs, that was for sure. As far as Tig was concerned, Chibs was a giant asshole, but it wasn't something Nina would want to share with her daughter. "Your Da can explain it to you himself when you see him, okay?"

"Could be sooner than you'd hope," Nero muttered, flicking the edge of the curtain as he piled some more food onto a plate and put it in front of Tig. "He's parking up."

"Don't let him in," Nina said abruptly, standing up and downing the last of her coffee as she pushed past Tig to get to the door to bolt it. "Don't you dare, Daddy." Nero snorted.

"Don't worry, babygirl, I'm not taking his side on any of this shit." He motioned for her to sit down again. "Let me send him away, I thought I made it clear he wasn't welcome here but I'll obviously need to be a little clearer."

Nina backed down as she saw that Nero really did have it in hand. He adjusted his shirt, flashing his gun at her and making her feel remarkably more comfortable as he went outside to block the way into the house with his presence. Once he had shut the door again, she moved across to listen in on the conversation.

Chibs sounded reserved as he galloped up the stairs two-at-a-time. He eyed Nero suspiciously and motioned to the door. "Thanks for looking after Tash last night," he said. "I can take her home now." Nero laughed, rolling his eyes and shaking his head as he said it.

"Now? Now you're done, mano?" He rolled his eyes, Chibs was an idiot _and_ an asshole if he thought he could just come and pick up with his daughter like nothing had changed. "I don't think you realise the enormity of what you've done, brother. Choosing some cop over your familia?"

"Believe me, I didn't choose her," Chibs said bluntly. "I was trying to get her to leave. I spent the whole goddamn night trying to get her to leave."

Nero snorted. "Sure. You beg her on your knees, huh? That some weird sex-game you've got going on with her?" Chibs opened his mouth to speak but Nero shut him down. "See, I know. I know that you screwed around with her before, and I'll bet you did exactly the same again last night because, as ever, you're a selfish son-of-a-bitch who prioritises yourself over everyone else. You know what, though? This time it's not just Nina. This time it's your daughter too. Your daughter who cried all night because Da didn't tuck her in."

Chibs' face fell, the words hit him hard and he rubbed his hand over his eyes anxiously. "I tried to be here. Where was Nina, huh? With Tig?" He laughed when Nero didn't argue with that. "I should have guessed. Althea was right."

That was it, Nina wasn't waiting any longer. She hurled the door open and stared at him, her hands on her hips. "Althea was right? Did _Althea_ tell you she had us arrested? Did _Althea_ tell you she put us in a goddamn cell together and wouldn't let me even call my Daddy to make sure our kids were okay?"

Chibs was sure he had never seen her so mad in all his life. She was furious, her make-up was smudged from the night before and she looked exhausted. He could see Tig hovering behind her and his back teeth ground together, not sure of what she was saying to him. "You were arrested?"

"I spent the night in Charming PD, Filip!" Nina snapped. "Because your new friend put me in there." Chibs flared his nostrils.

"Why? What did you do?"

Nero could almost feel Nina's frustration as he said it. She growled as she stepped forward, giving him a shove in the chest that knocked him back a couple of steps. "Because I broke her fucking nose, Filip." He stared at her, incredulous.

"Are you insane? She's a cop, why the hell would you do that?"

"Maybe we should ask you the same question," Tig muttered, stepping forward quickly before Nina took another swipe at Chibs. Last thing he needed was the two of them getting into a scrap on the front porch. "The exact same question, in fact."

All three of them were staring at Chibs with intense, uncomfortable gazes. Chibs felt himself shrinking as he realised they knew, they all knew what he had done with Jarry. He flushed red, embarrassed, and looked to Nina for some softness but there was nothing in her eyes but pure, pure hate. He swallowed and rubbed his hand through his hair. Shit, this was not what he needed this morning. He had expected to just come and sort everything out in one go, he didn't realise things were such a goddamn mess.

He focused his eyes solely on Nina as he tried to find an apology. He tripped over his tongue as he stumbled over the words. "Nina, please, it was a mistake."

"I've had it up to here with your mistakes," Nina said abruptly, shaking her head as she pulled away from him as he stepped forward to try and touch her. "I had no way of getting hold of you last night, Filip, and you weren't even concerned about where your own daughter was. I know she's kinda new in your life, but I at least thought you'd care about where she was."

He opened his mouth to answer as Natasha peeked around the edge of the door, looking for him when she heard his voice. Tig tried to shoo her away but she stepped forward boldly to ask,

"Da! Where were you last night? You didn't say goodnight!"

Nina had to hold back the desire to burst into tears as she looked accusingly at Chibs. "He was busy, sweetheart," she said, trying to answer the question. Natasha's eyebrows furrowed.

"Who with? Your friend from the ice cream shop?"

"Ice cream shop?" Nina glared at him, she had thought she had arrived at the perfect time to get rid of Jarry at Scoops, but Natasha's question made it clear she had been there much longer than Nina had realised. "Well isn't that cosy?"

Chibs struggled to answer. "Nina, it's not like that, we-"

"You what?" Nina stepped into him, her face inches from his as she glared at him. "You fucked her? Tell me you didn't."

Tig put his hands over Natasha's ears and ushered her back inside quickly, closing the door to keep the children away from Nina's imminent meltdown. Chibs turned red and shook his head, he didn't want to say it, he truly didn't. He swallowed and stared down at his feet. "Nina, can we talk about this alone?" he begged, motioning to Nero but Nina was adamant.

"Be a goddamn man," she snapped. "Admit it. Don't lie to me, Chibs, tell me the truth."

If the whole conversation weren't embarrassing enough, it was much, much worse in front of Nero. Chibs could feel his eyes burning into him, all of the resentment from all of their previous problems coming to an ugly head as Nina waited for an answer. Chibs took a deep breath, he knew she wouldn't back down until he said it.

"It was one time," he said. "She's my ex, and we were drunk."

He swore he could feel his balls shrinking away to nothing with the look she gave him. It was so full of disgust as she stared at him, like he was betraying everything they all stood for by admitting it. It had been bad enough to have Jarry taunt her, but to know it was true made her sick. "The night I wanted to have dinner? With you and Tash?" He didn't answer, he didn't need to, they both knew that was right. "The night I spent every minute of the evening telling your friend in there that I couldn't be with him because you and me were going to give it a proper go?"

She jerked her thumb towards the house and Chibs felt his jaw clench knowing that Tig had still been trying his luck with her. "And what did you do, Nina?"

"I said no!" she snapped furiously. "Because I could, for a change. So nothing happened, because he was respecting me and-" She laughed darkly. "And respecting you. You." She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Because I thought we were going to try."

She turned to go back inside and Chibs reached for her hand. "Nina, please, no. We're okay, it was just a mistake. We can move past this." As his fingers clasped her wrist, Nina turned around and swung her fist into his face furiously. The thump was hard, Chibs was sure he heard something break and suddenly he was spitting blood on the floor as he tried to gather his balance again. He started back towards her but, before anybody could stop her, Nina snatched the gun from her father's back and held it up to Chibs' forehead, unlocking the safety in an instant with her thumb like a consummate professional.

"You don't touch me," she said, pulling her arm away from him. Chibs looked at her, he had never seen her like this. Her eyes were cold, every trace of the loving Nina who had come home was gone. "And you don't ever, ever go anywhere near Natasha again, you understand me?"

Chibs felt his heartbeat quickening as he looked across at Nero for a little help but Nero didn't speak, only stared at his daughter with a strange mixture of fear and pride. "Nina, please. I'm sorry."

"Quit while you're ahead, mano," Nero said, his voice calm. He put his hand on the top of the gun and, with the slightest bit of pressure, persuaded Nina to lower it. "Just go, before this gets any worse." When Chibs didn't move, Nero sighed and put his arm around Nina. "Come on, you need to eat something before Emmy goes to school." He shot Chibs another look, trying to make him leave as he ushered Nina inside and paused as he closed the door. "Time to go home, brother."


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N - Heads up, we're jumping to an M, people! There's been so overwhelming #TeamTig so this one is for all of you guys, a bit of pure filth while these guys find their feet... Enjoy! Been a while since I wrote Sons smut so let me know how it is ;-)**

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><p>Tig watched as Nina solemnly closed the door like she did every night. The two girls were huddled together asleep in Tig's bed and Nina padded around, gathering her usual bedtime bits and pieces from around the living room. She picked up a couple of cushions and tossed them at one edge of the sofa before going for the blanket draped across the back of Tig's chair. He stubbed out his cigarette as he looked over her.<p>

"You don't have to sleep here, you know," he said. It was the same conversation they had had every night for a week. "I'll take the couch, you have Emily's bed."

As ever, she shook her head as she dropped down onto the seat. "I don't mind, it's just sleep. I've got a whole house I could go to if I wanted a bed, I'd just rather be with the girls while I can."

She had been true to her word about not taking Emily from Tig's. Instead, every night that had passed had been at his place, they would have dinner and work through Emily's homework together as a mixed up little family before the girls would go to bed, promising they would move when Tig wanted to sleep. When it came around to it, he could never bear to wake them and both adults shared a bottle of wine before retreating to their separate spots to sleep. If Tig was tired of his toes peeking out from the end of Emmy's tiny purple bed sheets, he hadn't expressed it, they'd just sort of got on with it.

He dutifully got up and fetched her deserted wine glass from the kitchen along with a second bottle of wine. Nina looked at it for a moment but didn't stop him like she usually did. Tonight, she could do with another drink. Glad to see her accept it, Tig pulled the cork and sloshed a generous helping into her glass. She knocked back most of it in one go and held it out for a refill, and Tig laughed.

"I can just give you a straw if you want," he teased, dropping down on the couch beside her. She smiled a little.

"Intravenous will be faster," she said, tapping the crook of her arm. Tig looked at it carefully, he could still see the faded old track marks of too long in that nasty brothel in Nevada. He swallowed, choking back the memory and he shook his head.

"You know I've got some pick me ups if you need something." She frowned ever so slightly and he blushed. "Not like you're a junkie or anything, I just meant-"

"Keep digging, Tigger."

She was curled into a ball on her seat, her knees under her chin as she swirled the wine around in the glass. Tig couldn't help but stare at her body, tangled with itself in that way that he loved. What he wouldn't do to be able to hold her like he wanted to, to make her feel his unending obsession with her.

"You look lonely," he ventured quietly. She laughed a little, staring into her glass, and pursed her lips.

"I do?" She nodded after a moment. "I am, I guess. It's just been me, for too long. Me and her." She gestured towards the bedroom. "First it was me and Em, then me and Tash. Awake with them all night, feedings, crying, lullabies. Feeding, bathing. First steps, first words. Always 'Ma'," she added sadly. "I never worried about them asking for Da, they never knew."

Tig felt his heart sinking with every word, she had been alone, totally alone. No wonder she looked so sad, it made his chest hurt seeing her with her eyes closed as she downed the last of her glass. He leaned over, caressing her cheek with his hand, and she pressed herself to him, moving against him to enjoy his touch.

"I don't want you to be lonely," he whispered softly. He couldn't help himself, she looked so vulnerable and all he wanted to do was comfort her. He pushed one hand down between her legs and lay his lips on her cheek ever so softly, it was the simplest move but the sound of her exhaling heavily at his embrace made him instantly need more from her.

Nina could feel her heartbeat quickening at his intimacy and she parted her lips as she pressed him back, shaking her head softly. "Don't," she murmured. "I can't give you what you want." Tig smiled as his fingertips ran up her thigh, ghosting along the edge of her skirt.

"You can give me everything I want."

The way he said it made her shiver and she closed her eyes. "No, Alex. It's been a long time, I'm... I can't give you what you need."

Every resistance made him want her more. He wet his lips as he shifted closer to her, the wine making him bold, and he pulled her legs into his lap, connecting with her in the only way he knew how. His hand ran along her hip, dwelling on the curve of her ass.

"How long?" The question was heavy in the air and she blushed, flushing red from the drink.

"I waited." It was all she could manage before she looked up at him shyly, gazing at him through her eyelashes. "I waited for him." She laughed at herself, how much of an idiot was she? Six years, six fucking years of just... waiting. She was sure it would be a turn off, but to Tig, it was everything but. He growled, not letting go of her. If anything, his fingers sank more possessively into her thigh and held onto her.

"You haven't had sex?" He could barely believe it, all he wanted to do was tear her clothes off and correct it in an instant. He was determined to, in fact. She laughed as she shook her head, the pressure from his hands growing more intense. "Christ, Nina, you waited for that cunt and you didn't tell me?"

Before she could say another word, he dragged her mouth to his and kissed her hungrily. She laughed at his impassioned embrace and eased back, he was the same old Tig he had ever been with her. "Because I was mortified at my own stupidity," she said, playing with the dog tag hanging around his neck. "And I didn't think you'd want a born-again virgin. I swear my hymen's grown back and everything."

Now that was definitely a joke. Tig was already pushing his hand up beneath her skirt. She didn't push him away like he thought she might, in fact she whimpered softly as his fingertips hooked into her panties and pulled on them. Her arms hooked around his neck as she kissed him, her tongue working gently against his as she did, and Tig felt his erection growing firm against her legs as her fingers twirled his hair. Nina swallowed, suddenly nervous as he pushed his nose into the crook of her neck and nibbled her collarbone.

"Alex." Her hesitation stopped him instantly and she gave him a coy smile. "You and me. We've never... done it."

Tig sniggered. "Sweetheart, you know that that's where Emily came from, right?" She gave him a playful punch.

"I mean, that I remember."

Tig held her softly as he eased her to lie down on the couch. It killed him that she couldn't remember, that she had been a drug-addled mess the two times they had ever been together. At least she was just tipsy now, not drunk, he wouldn't be able to do it if she was drunk. He sucked on her lip before nipping her gently and hovering over her. She looked young, all of a sudden, lying between his arms like that.

"I'll make sure you remember," he whispered. "For the right reasons, this time," he added as his fingers felt beneath her shirt, tracing across the reaper on her back. She nodded, almost embarrassed, and he worked his way along her shoulder and neck towards her chest. His kisses were wet, they made her shiver as he moved along her body, her back arching, pushing her tighter to him. Tig growled as he tasted her, all he wanted to do was fulfil every little bit of her but he knew he couldn't rush. He didn't want to.

"The girls," she whispered, suddenly remembering. She moved to sit up but Tig encouraged her to stay put, he would deal with that. He pushed the living room door shut, the house was surrounded by Irish guards, nobody was getting in or out.

"You don't worry about anything," he promised her as he settled on his knees in front of her. He pulled her ass towards him, drawing her legs over his shoulders as he buried himself in her, enjoying the smell of her. Her scent was perfect, sweet and delectable, all he wanted to do was lick her mercilessly until she couldn't take any more. He edged her panties aside with his nose as he ran his tongue all along her, circling her clit with the tip and making her groan, a guttural, animalistic noise she couldn't hold inside when he was touching her like that. Tig could feel her wanting to move her legs closed but he pressed her knees back, eager to please her again.

Nina closed her eyes, possessed by the hypnotic movements of his tongue against her. She could barely even work out what to say, every bit of her energy was focused on being able to breathe through the incredible waves he was sending through her body. She ran her hands over his head, inadvertently tugging him closer to her, and she could hear him laughing at her eagerness. Her fingers knotted in his hair as she felt him begin to kiss her clit, his lips nibbling her playfully as he pushed his forefinger into her. God, she was wet, beautifully wet, a mixture of how turned on she was and his sticky saliva. The sound of her murmuring with satisfaction was doing unspeakable things to him, he wanted to have her, desperately so.

She wanted him too. In the brief moment that Tig closed his eyes, Nina clambered onto him, knocking him back flat to the floor as she eagerly unbuckled his pants and pushed them away, just far enough down his hips to expose his hard on. Her hand wrapped around him as she led him to her, guiding him in, sinking her hips down onto his with an overwhelming need to feel him inside of her. Tig groaned, unable to suppress the sound as she moved her body down onto his, the pelvic bones bumping as she filled herself with his length. Christ, how did she do that? Tig had fucked countless women in his time but this, this felt so much better than all of those put together. It had always been good with Nina, but now it felt better than ever, knowing that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her.

His hands worked their way to her waist, resting just above her hips. He didn't want to control her, he just wanted to feel connected to those movements, linked to her as she rode him with agonising slowness. Her hands gripped his shoulders as they lay on the floor, fully dressed and fucking like they never had before. He could see her hair cascading down over her forehead, over her face, all he could focus on was her lips as they parted with each breath she took.

He sat up suddenly, crunching his stomach tight and forcing a different angle within her. Nina whimpered as he edged her back, leaning her shoulders against the couch as he buried himself between her breasts. Tig growled as he felt his need to come increasing, it was her, she just had this way of making him feel like there was nobody else in the world. All he wanted to do was kiss her and feel everything else melt away.

He was sure she could read his mind. Her hands cupped his face as she drew her to him, pressing her mouth to his in an embrace. She could taste herself on his lips and she murmured contently, she couldn't get enough. Tig grinned as he held her body, he needed her more than ever. His urge to orgasm was overpowering, he needed her to cum with him. As he felt the heat flooding her, he couldn't wait, he didn't want to. He roared into her shoulder as he let go, releasing inside of her and catching his fingers along the base of her spine as he did. The simple move made her squeal and he shoved his mouth to hers to silence the sound before the girls woke, holding her tight as she shook and shuddered on him, the intense vibrations of her body ebbing away as she felt herself relaxing against him, spent.

"You okay?"

She was wet, they both were, their skin damp with sweat. Tig used his forearm to wipe the perspiration from her face and he grinned as he nuzzled her, lifting her up to sit on the couch as he pulled out of her. She nodded, feeling dizzy, and gripped the edge of the seat to steady herself.

"I don't think I'll forget that," she murmured, her eyes catching his. Tig laughed as he tugged off his shirt and wiped himself down before tossing the thing on the floor. Nina looked over him, over his body, once she had never really realised she had known.

"I can remind you regularly," he offered. He sat down beside her and lit a cigarette, she took a single drag before handing it back. "You know, if we-"

She pushed her finger to his lips and shook her head. "I don't think we should anything," she said softly. "I don't know where my head is at, Alex, can't we just... enjoy this? For what it is?"

Tig looked at her with a wry sort of amusement in his eyes. "You asking me for no strings, Nina?" She shrugged, and even though the thought crushed him, he'd rather have that than nothing. Part of him hoped that he'd won her around, that from now on they would just be hand-in-hand until one of them eventually died. He smiled after a moment and nodded, trying to play it cool. "I'm not really into relationships anyway," he shrugged.

"Good." She reached for the cigarette again, she needed another hit of nicotine. Tig pursed his lips as he watched her mouth wrap around the end, the remnants of her lipstick staining the paper. Just the thought of her made him twitch, he'd have her again in a second.

"Good," he repeated. He'd find a way to have her, he was sure of it. She just didn't know she needed him yet.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N - Hey guys! I'm in LA right now on work so apologies for the huge delay but hope you enjoy this chapter! Those of you who know me personally are pretty sure of where my allegiances lie right now ;-) S xx**

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><p>"Good morning."<p>

The two sisters fell silent as they sat at the table and looked up at Nina as she walked into the kitchen. Her hair was up in a messy ponytail and she had a little robe pulled around her. Emily had a smirk on her lips but Natasha looked mortified as she stared at her mother. Nina didn't notice as she fussed around, putting coffee on as she tried to find the strength in her legs. Tig had exhausted her, through and through, and her body was aching as she leaned heavily against the counter.

"Did you sleep okay?" she asked as she stared out at the front drive. Emily snorted milk through her straw.

"Did you?"

Nina was about to turn around at the strange question when she suddenly felt Tig slipping his arms around her from behind. His hand pushed under her robe as he buried his face in the crook of her neck and he nibbled her skin hungrily.

"Morning," he murmured, his voice gravelly. He hadn't showered yet, he smelled of sex, their sex, and cigarettes. Nina closed her eyes and tried to suppress the smile that spread across her face as he touched her, pulling her tight and dragging her ass against him as he caressed her.

"Hey." She gave him a gentle elbow. "The kids."

She could hear a chair scraping back roughly and she turned to see Natasha stomp off back towards the bedroom. Nina frowned after her and followed her while Emily beamed widely at her father. Tig gave her a lopsided, sheepish grin and dropped down in the seat beside her, messing her hair up as he did.

"We heard you," Emily giggled, leaning close to him. "With Mom all night." Tig felt himself colouring with embarrassment but Emily leaned on his arm as she abandoned her breakfast. "Does that mean you're her favourite?"

Shit, that kind of question killed him. Tig rolled his jaw and took a swig of his coffee. "It's not really favourites, Emmy, me and your Mom-"

An almighty wail came from the other room and the sound of a door slamming. Nina returned, red faced, and looked at Tig. She had obviously been told exactly the same thing and she was taking it with a lot less easy pride than Tig was. "She won't let anyone in but Chibs," she managed to stammer awkwardly as she got herself a coffee and poured a hefty slug of whisky into it. "She won't stop crying, can you call him? Just to calm her down? I'm not talking to him."

Tig nodded slowly and stood. He could see she was finding it hard, he rested his arms on her shoulders and put them around her neck, leaning his head against hers. Nina tried to resist it but she felt suddenly better as he touched her.

"Let me sort it out." He kissed her forehead. "I swear."

He pushed her to sit down and went out to make the call. Emily smiled at her Mom with a devious sort of look in her eyes. "He loves you," she chirruped. Nina chuckled darkly as she looked after him, wishing she had never stopped smoking.

"Yeah, I know."

There was a long silence between them while Emily continued to slurp milk off her spoon as she gazed up, her blue eyes sparkling in excitement as she stared at Nina. Nina, on the other hand, was anxiously waiting for Natasha to stop crying but she was sure her sobs were getting more ragged and more heartfelt each time. All she wanted to do was hold her, Natasha was a little angel but she was clearly horrified. Emily probably hadn't helped, Nina realised. She had, in face, surely made it a hundred times worth with her Trager-like penchant for oneupmanship.

Tig hadn't even come back in when Chibs' Harley roared up front. Nina stood quickly as he shoved his way past Tig into the house and looked around for his little girl. Hearing her screaming, Chibs made a beeline for the bedroom.

"Come here, little one," he said softly, tapping on the door with his knuckles. Nina followed him and sighed as she saw Natasha open the door for him and clamber into his arms. He hugged her, cuddling her tight as he picked her up. Natasha's little whimpers started to soothe as Chibs rubbed her back and kissed her head repeatedly. "It's all okay, I'm here, your Da's here." He was just managing to calm her when he turned to Nina. "What the hell's happened?"

A fresh bout of whining started instantly as Tash's breathing quickened, almost hyperventilating in panic. "Emmy says that Ma loves Uncle Tig and that he'll send me back to Belfast on my own and Ma'll stay here and I won't be allowed to because Uncle Tig doesn't want me," she moaned, her little lips stumbling over the words as a sticky trail of saliva parted between her mouth. Chibs gave Nina a murderous look.

"Jesus, Nina."

"Don't you start with me," she snapped, her eyes suddenly growing red at the edges. She turned on her heel and went to grab Emily, with Tig following not far behind. "Emmy, what did you say to your sister?"

Emily was trying not to smile with a naughty sense of pride in her eyes. "Nothing. We heard you fucking."

Tig groaned as he stepped out of Chibs' line of sight and while Nina condemned her language, all Chibs could do was stare. He tried for something to say but shook his head slowly, no, this wasn't right.

"You heard what?"

"Don't you dare say that again, Emily Padilla," Nina warned furiously, glaring down at her older girl but Emily took great pride in squaring up to Chibs and staring up at him.

"Fucking." She grinned at him. Since Nina had been back, all those allegiances to Chibs had been grating on Emily but she was too smart to let her upper hand pass. "All night."

"Room, now." Tig gave her a yank and pushed her quickly into the spare room. By the time he had returned, Chibs had seated Natasha on the bed and was trying to collect his racing mind. The second he could, he charged at Tig, slamming him back against the wall.

"You just couldn't even wait."

He punched him angrily, sending a trail of blood jetting from Tig's nostril. Tig laughed and took the smack before returning with one of his own, harder and more determined. It sent Chibs sprawling back a few steps, bumping into Nina who got between them quickly, holding them at arms' length from each other.

"Stop it!" she demanded. "You pair of animals, just stop, now." She could see Natasha studying Chibs, it wasn't like she had never seen a fight but she sure hadn't seen her father so frighteningly upset.

"Animals? You're the one making the beast with two goddamn backs." Chibs snorted as he wiped his lips with the back of his hand. Nina laughed darkly.

"Oh, because you didn't start that with that insane bitch Jarry?" Chibs swallowed nervously and Natasha sat up on her knees.

"Da would never hurt you," she said defensively, her little pretty nose screwing up tightly as she did. Nina laughed as she glared at Chibs and pointed to Natasha.

"You want to explain, Prez?" He didn't answer and she looked at Tash. "That lady, at the ice cream shop? She and your Da are real close, aren't you, Chibs?" He could feel his throat closing as Natasha stood up now and stood at the end of the bed, staring at him accusingly. "Your Da's been messing around with that cop since we got here, Tash. He doesn't give a damn about hurting me."

Natasha looked crushed. Her father, the prince of her imagination, had done something wrong. The mere idea was overwhelming and she suddenly sat down, cross-legged and silent as she buried her face in her hands and started to cry quietly. Chibs scowled.

"Look what you've done. You made her cry," he snapped but Nina rolled her eyes.

"How about taking some responsibility?" she replied shortly. "You, you made her cry. You're upsetting her, because you're an asshole." She took up a position beside Tig, leaving the door wide open. "You should leave, please," she insisted, pointing outwards. "You are not welcome here, at least she knows what you are now. You're no hero, Filip, you're a pathetic excuse for a father. Get out."

He looked at Tig, daring him to make him leave, but Tig shook his head. "Her call, Prez, this is family shit." He grimaced. "I'm sorry."

"No-one's sending you anywhere, Tash," Nina said, dropping down beside the little girl and putting her arms around her. "Me and Alex, he was just taking care of me, that's all, because I was sad. You and me, we're sticking together, just like we always do."

"Until you fuck off for six years," Chibs muttered contemptuously. "And abandon her too."

Nina wasn't taking that. She stood up and gave Chibs a smack, sending him careering into the wardrobe. He was shocked by her hateful defence and clutched his hand to his jaw.

"They threatened to kill Emily," she growled, suddenly filled with the fierce energy of a lioness. "If I contacted you. I wasn't going to hurt her, not ever, don't you get that? It wasn't about you, it was never about you. You don't think I wanted to be here, at home with my daughter? My Daddy, my friends, my family? It was all for her." She stabbed her finger towards the other room. "Now get out. I'd call the police but you'd probably enjoy that little ride in your girlfriend's car too much."

There was nothing more to be said. Chibs looked at his daughter. "Tash." Natasha ignored him and he reached for her but she pulled away, hiding in Nina's robe. "Tash, please."

"Go away," she demanded. "You don't love us, I want you to go away now. You're just another monster."

The words were like daggers to his heart. Chibs could barely breathe as he stood up again and stared around at them all. Tig was standing guiltily by, his nose red and bloody, and Nina wouldn't even look up at him. Chibs swallowed and nodded slowly.

"I'll see you at the club," he said coldly as he walked past Tig. "An hour." He paused for one more moment but neither of his girls looked up at him. He felt his chest grow tight but he nodded, this was on him. He silently left as he walked to his bike, furious at himself as he glanced back towards the house, distraught. He had to win his daughter back, if not Nina too. He just had to.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N - Hurrah! Have had time to sit down and write a chapter! Trouble to be had, Jarry's such a bitch... ;)**

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><p>"You're an asshole."<p>

Tig threw himself down in his seat at the table with a glare at Chibs. Chibs rolled his eyes, Tig was always so overdramatic. Juice frowned as he looked at the bloody bit of cloth in Tig's nostril before turning his faithful expression to Chibs, sure that he must be responsible for it. Chibs lit a cigarette as he leaned back in his seat, waiting for everyone else to settle.

"Arsehole? I think there's a phrase about 'pots and kettles', brother," he muttered. "Turn my back for two goddamn minutes and you're back in bed with her."

"She wanted it," Tig said, trying to suppress the smirk teasing his lips. He didn't want to be so cruel but it was just too enjoyable. "This time."

Happy shot up between them quickly, prising them away from each other with a look. "Now now," he said firmly, pressing Tig to sit. "Behave yourself," he added, shoving him into his seat when he resisted. Tig laughed as he waited for Quinn to sit up next to Rat and he looked around at them all.

"Got a message from our Irish consort," he muttered, looking at Chibs as he took control of the table. "We promised them some sort of deal. Fifty k of business a week, guns, no ammo."

Chibs squinted as he looked at him and shook his head. "That's double what we do already, we can't shift that kind of merchandise without raising some eyebrows in town. Since when?"

"Some agreement you made," Tig shrugged, indifferent. Nina had been clear in her instructions, she said that Chibs had promised her the business and she wasn't going to let that slide, especially not now. "Night she got here?"

Chibs searched his mind and started to shake his head. "She wanted to talk business, I told her…" He trailed off as he realised. "I said we'd do whatever she wanted. Jesus Christ." He looked up around the table at the blank expressions, nobody seemed to understand what he had agreed without really appreciating it. He had presumed that things with Nina would stay pleasant, he never thought for a second that they would turn sour and she might screw them on trading deal. "I need to talk to her."

"She doesn't want to talk to you," Tig murmured, crossing his arms and kicking his feet up onto the edge of the table. "She's pissed, man. You and Jarry, really fucked things up."

"You and Jarry?" Juice leaned across the table with a frown. "What about you and Jarry?"

Chibs was silent a moment before he tightened his jaw. Shit, this was not what he needed, everybody getting up his ass about a screw he should never have had. When he didn't answer, Tig helpfully chimed in. "You guys don't know? He's been fucking that bitch in the Sheriff's office. Paying her off, riding her hard. Getting her on side, right boss?" Chibs coloured but didn't answer, and Happy stared at him with a cold, confused expression.

"What about Nina?"

Tig elbowed him. "No worries, Hap, I got that covered, I'll take good care of her. Fuck her right, let Tash call me Da..."

That last taunt was just that little too much for Chibs and he snapped as he stood, reaching across the table, fully intending to slam Tig's head against the wood and knock him unconscious. Bobby stood and eased him back into his seat, trying to keep the peace.

"Easy now, brother, he's just yanking your chain, calm down," he said. He gave Tig a reprimanding look and Tig grinned as he lolled casually in his seat. "There's been a misunderstanding on this business front. She's got to know that we can't afford that kind of trade, she's been around us long enough to know that that ain't an option."

"She just needs reminding," Rat suggested. Chibs laughed at that.

"What are you going to do? Knock her around a bit?" He shook his head. "This situation isn't normal. A woman at the head of the IRA? It's not something we've had to deal with before. Me and her, we need a conversation, that's all. Direct, no kids, no backup." He glanced at Tig. "No interference." Tig pouted but Happy put a hand on his chest and nodded, he would monitor Tig if that's what it took.

"We'll set up a meet," he assured Chibs with a nod. "Business."

Chibs nodded and brought the gavel down. He watched as the others spilled out quickly before he got up, pulling himself to his feet. He felt weary, exhausted by everything going on in his head. This, none of it made sense to him. He was tired, too tired, and Nina was like an emotional drain on his goddamn battery. He padded slowly out, through the bar, towards the front. He could do with just going for a ride, taking his Harley for a spin before he met her.

As he stepped down and headed over to the rack, he groaned loudly as he saw Jarry leaning against her car, her arms crossed over her chest. She removed her sunglasses for a moment as she looked at him with a raised eyebrow, expecting him to come over. When Chibs didn't, she crossed to him and rested one hand on the handlebar of his bike. Chibs wrinkled his nose and prised her hand away from it.

"You should never touch a man's bike," he said shortly. She smiled.

"I thought you liked it when I touched your belongings…" she teased, a little mischievous glint in her eyes. Chibs laughed darkly and gave her a push away as he saw Quinn coming outside to sit on the picnic table with Happy, both in a quiet discussion but their eyes fixed on their President.

"Maybe, years ago," he muttered. "Things are different now."

Jarry swallowed and nodded slowly. "Yeah, they are." She fiddled with the edge of his cut but Chibs quickly pushed her hands away. "Come on, Filip. You're just going to ignore me?"

"You're making everything hard for me, Althea," he replied. When her eyes lit up, he shook his head. "No, not like that. Things are different, I've got a family, responsibilities."

"A woman who's not even interested in you?" Jarry chuckled. "Word gets around, gossip spreads like wildfire in a little town like this. Why are you trying to protect her? You could be happy." When he didn't answer, she dug in her pocket for a moment and briefly flashed a little wrought-iron cigarette lighter. "I must have taken this, by accident," she said coolly, not letting him look at it for too long as she reached inside his cut and tucked it into his shirt pocket. "Just wanted to return it, that's all."

Chibs shrugged and pushed her hand away again. "Thank you, I could have bought another one." Jarry smiled a little, maybe not quite like that one. It had taken a little persuasion, but once she had been given the sign-off to put a recording device in the damn thing, she had been itching to get it back to him.

"I know it's your favourite," she murmured. "I'll, uh, leave you to it, I guess." She pressed a kiss on his cheek and smiled to herself as she dipped her head, padding away towards the police car. Chibs didn't think much of it as he backed out his bike and, without waiting for her, drove off. Jarry grinned as she gave him a few minutes' head start and headed after him. She was going to trap that damn Irish woman if it killed her, Chibs in the mix or not.

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><p>It had taken some persuasion for Nina to go to meet Chibs alone and unaccompanied. The Irish crew, for one, were furious at the mere idea but Tig had assured her that it would be nothing but a conversation. Irate as she was, Nina had hated the idea of spending any time with Chibs, let alone on her own, but Tig had been surprisingly encouraging, trying to protect both her and the club's business in the best way he could.<p>

The warehouse seemed like a sensible meeting place, Chibs was already waiting for her when she arrived in her own car. She stepped out, straightening her skirt and rebuttoning her jacket instinctively. Chibs got off his bike, dusting down his pants in an attempt to mirror her, and took a step towards her.

"I'm not armed," he said softly. He lifted his shirt at the front and then the back to show her, and Nina nodded slowly before returning the favour. Chibs gazed at the curve of her waist and hips as she flashed her bare skin at him, he could already feel his heartbeat quickening at the mere sight of her. "Nina, I-"

"Business," she said abruptly. "You promised me whatever I needed."

Chibs pressed his hand to his forehead to ease his imminent headache. "Nina, you know I can't turn that over." She shook her head.

"You said you'll take whatever I want you to. You said it was a done deal." Her eyes narrowed. "Were you lying?"

He laughed. "Are you kidding? Nina, I hadn't seen you in six fucking years. I thought you were dead. And then there you were, in your little Armani get up, looking fucking beautiful and telling me you're in control of the guns for the IRA. What did you think I was going to say? I'd have said anything right then, I didn't think you'd try and make me take twice as much Irish shite as we were already trading. You know we can't move that without causing problems."

"Then fix your problems." Her hands were on her hips now, Chibs could feel his heartbeat fluttering at just the sight of her. "If the Sons are trying to screw the IRA, that's their choice, we can find another buyer in town. The Chinese have already-"

"No." Chibs was firm as he said it, taking a step towards her. His tall frame loomed over hers and he gripped her elbow tightly. "Nina, IRA and SAMCRO are in this together, you know that."

"Then you find a way to pay out," she answered abruptly. Her eyes looked up at him challengingly, knowing that Chibs wouldn't dare hurt her, not like this. His physical closeness was too much for her, the way he held onto her made her want to punch him and kiss him all in the same breath. She shook her head for a moment, unable to get her head around it all, and tried to pull away but Chibs pulled her closer and pushed his mouth against hers insistently. His fingers knotted in her hair and Nina yelped as she gave him a thump in the chest, shoving him back.

"Nina-"

"Get off me!" she demanded angrily. "You can't just do that, Chibs. You can't just try and make things okay again, not like that, it's not fair." She was shaking, physically shaking as she said it. "You fucked up. You fucked us up, when we were good. We were finally good." She gave him a fierce smack as he tried to come towards her again, eager to try and hold her and calm her down. "What? Because you wanted to get your dick wet? With that psychotic crazy from the police department? What? Did you think I didn't want to sleep with you? That I wasn't aching to be with you again?" She could feel her resolve weakening. "I wanted you to be there that night, I wanted to fix everything, for us to be good. You made the call, Chibs, you did this."

"I was drunk!" he insisted, knowing it wasn't enough. "It was a mistake, we all make mistakes."

She laughed and shook her head, staring down at her feet. "I love you." She glanced up at him, not knowing what else to say. "I have for years, it's been a mess for fucking years, Chibs. I just, I'll never get it. And I'm not just going to wait for you." She shook her head. "Me and Alex, at least I know how he feels, we-"

"That's bullshite." Chibs shook his head. "Tig'll take anything he can get. You can't think for a second that he means anything he says, he's a liar and he- Jesus, Nina, are you serious?" He was sure he was about to start to cry. "Nina, he doesn't love you like I do, he never has. He never can. He-"

He wanted to continue but his words were curtailed as another car pulled up. He looked up to see Jarry with an uncontrollable smile on her lips as she motioned for another officer with her to approach Nina. Chibs stared at her for a moment, confused, and looked at Nina to see the second cop grabbing her hands and locking them behind her. Althea winked at him, obviously, making sure Nina could see as she patted his cheek.

"Good job, Filip," she murmured, fishing her hand into his top pocket and lifting out the cigarette lighter. She flicked the lid open to show him the little wire hidden inside the mechanism. "The romantic dramatics were cute, but I got what I needed." She wrapped her hand around the thing and gave Nina a twisted sort of smile. "Nothing like a little confession to lock a few things down. Take her in," she insisted to the police officer. The guy pushed Nina into the back of the car as Jarry stood there, looking at Chibs with a little smirk.

"What are you doing?" Chibs could barely believe what was happening as he saw Nina being caged in the car. "She hasn't done anything."

"We heard every word," Jarry murmured, lifting an earpiece from beneath her hair and holding it to his ear. Chibs could her her words feeding back, picking up from the microphone in the cigarette lighter. "A confession that she's working for the IRA, tied up with SAMCRO?" Chibs opened his mouth to object but she shook her head and stroked his hair. "Don't worry, I'll keep you guys out of it. It's her I'm after. She'll be inside within a couple of days, lost in the system. I'll try and keep an eye on her."

Chibs could feel panic flooding him as he saw the look in Nina's eyes in the back of the car. Althea started to walk back towards the car and he shook his head, Christ, no, this couldn't happen, he couldn't let her just go inside. In a snap decision, he leapt on Jarry's back, wrapping his arm around her throat roughly and hurling her against the car. Her face crushed against the glass and the second officer shot out of the car, grabbing Chibs and pulling him back.

"What the hell?" the guy frowned, wrestling Chibs away. He reached for a second set of cuffs but Jarry shook her head.

"Don't," she instructed. "That's what he wants. Don't arrest him."

"He assaulted a sheriff!" the officer complained. "I have to, I'm sorry."

Jarry looked furious as the sound of metal clicking made it clear that the arrest had been made. The officer pushed a docile Chibs into the back seat beside Nina, and Jarry could feel the heat rising in her ears as she saw Chibs nuzzle Nina affectionately, whispering something to her about not leaving her for another second. She pinched the bridge of her nose before opening her door and leaning in.

"Fine, you can both go in," she growled. "I'll have your kids taken into protective custody, you'll never see them again. You want to play dirty, you nasty little terrorist?" She laughed. "You wait. You don't even know what you've just started."


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N - Oh my gosh, it's Double Update Night because I have time and I definitely owe you guys an extra one for that LONG delay! Sorry again, I promise I'm back and will back to my usual post-every-couple-of-days ha****bits! Thanks for bearing with me and, of course, thank you for reading! Shit's going to get really, really messy, so hold on to your hats...!**

**And, for those aficionados, I know that the situation would never arise like this but hey, it's fiction, it's fun and it makes everything much stickier. So please forgive the artistic licence, it's set up like this for a naaaaaasty reason...**

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><p>Chibs couldn't relax when he knew Nina was shivering anxiously. He could see her whole body shaking as she held onto the bars of their holding cell, her forehead leaned against the gap as she tried to focus herself. She was panicked, he could tell from the way she was holding herself, her shoulders slumped forward to protect her chest. Normally, Chibs would just take the time to stretch out on the hard wooden bench, force his back into the right shape again, but right now his only concern was her.<p>

"Come and sit with me," he said encouragingly. When she didn't move, he sighed and stood, crossing to her. He wound his arm around her waist, gently and carefully, and eased her back towards him. Even though Nina only wanted to turn around and clout him one, she barely had the strength. All she could think about was getting away and getting back to her girls, she hated being isolated and she needed to talk to Tig, make sure he kept both Natasha and Emily out of Jarry's grubby hands.

"This is your fault," she muttered as he pulled her over to the seat and urged her to sit down. Chibs leant down on one knee in front of her and stroked her cheek, if she hadn't been so distraught, the moment would have been beautiful. Nina closed her eyes beneath his touch, trying to keep her sense of balance, and she exhaled heavily as he caressed her.

"I know it is," he whispered. He couldn't have been sorrier if he tried, he had never meant for any of this. "Jarry, she's fucking crazy." He looked a little embarrassed as he grimaced sadly. "We used to be together, before I met you, long before I met you." He laughed at himself. "I was an idiot, just fell back into one big bad habit. Guess this is the lesson, huh?" He rubbed her ankle gently and smiled as he saw her close her eyes, relaxing beneath his touch.

"What happens now?"

He had been wondering that for a while himself. It was very unusual to be put in a holding cell together, normally county were pretty fussy about that kind of thing. He leaned his head on her lap, expecting her to push him off but she didn't. He gazed up at her adoringly for a moment before blinking his eyes shut and just inhaling her scent. "We'll get taken out. Two sections, they'll take you to the women's correction facility, it's a couple of blocks over that way." He pointed through the wall. "Me, I don't know what they'll hold me on. Colluding, maybe, depends how pissed off she is I guess." The thought of another gun charge weighed heavily on his shoulders, he didn't want five years inside, not now.

"Correctional," she said softly. "What is that like?"

Chibs rubbed his neck nervously. He knew she would hate it, all those women. A pretty girl like Nina would be their favourite kind of bait, they'd shred her to pieces, scar her, hurt her, just because they could. Those women were nothing like her, they were in there because they killed and hurt for sport. Nina had admitted the wrong thing at the wrong time, and he had brought this on her.

"It's okay," he said. "As soon as I can reach out to the club, I'll work out who can keep an eye on you in there. There'll be a couple of people, old ladies, that kind of thing. I'll make sure you're safe."

She sighed. He could tell she was scared, that was clear. Chibs lifted his head from her and sat up now, his hands holding her face gently as he looked her in the eye. There was a trepidation in her expression that upset him, what had he done? Jarry was going to make this as hard as possible, just for sport, it seemed so unfair. Jesus, what had he done? His thumb traced along the scar on her cheek and then along her neck.

"The guys, they'll get you out," he assured her. "You know Tig, the second he knows what's going on, he'll be all over getting you out. That's when persistence pays off," he chuckled. Nina gave him a defeated sort of smile and Chibs rocked back onto his heels and stood up as he saw a guard coming down the corridor towards them. He stood and leaned on the door as he eyed the guard suspiciously. "So what's the plan?"

"You're both being taken in," he murmured, looking again at his clipboard. "Some sort of… clerical error, Jarry said. Will take a few days to correct, everything'll have to be refiled, reprocessed. You know how that takes time," he added, glancing at Chibs. "I hear you're an old hand."

There was too much information hitting Chibs at once. He shook his head and pointed back towards Nina, who had stood and was keeping herself to the back wall of the cell. "Both of us? Into Stockton?" He looked at Nina. Jesus Christ, she'd be eaten alive. "They can't do that, they can't put her in an all-male institution."

"They can and it's done," the guard shrugged. "I'm sorry." He swung the door open and motioned for Nina to come to him, which she did softly, knowing better than to try and start a fight now. As much as she wanted to break the guy's jaw and run, she knew all too well she had nowhere to run to. They were in the middle of nowhere, and Stockton was lined with armed guards through and through, there was no way she would be able to get anywhere. "You've got an hour of yard time before mess, you both need to change and I'll take you out."

Chibs could hardly believe it as they were marched down the hall and handed the luminous orange outfits. Nina, with no shyness at all, stripped her clothes away and pulled on the oversized white vest. She tugged on the pants and pulled them as tight as she could, winding the cord around her waist twice to try and make it fit her. She gave Chibs a sheepish smile as she waited for him to change too, and he did, slowly, never taking his eyes away from her.

"You understood what they said, right?" he asked. She nodded slowly, trying to keep her nerve. "Nina, shite, I need you to stick right next to me the whole time, do you get that?" He already knew how it would be. All of those animals, panting over her, sweating and touching themselves just at the sight of her. She'd be a commodity, someone would find a way to take control of her and trade her. The mere thought made him sick, he wouldn't be able to let her out of his sight, not for a second.

"I'll be fine," she whispered, not even believing the words herself. Chibs shook his head, she didn't get it.

"No, you won't," he insisted. She needed to realise that she had never needed him more. "You don't ever go out of my sight, do you understand? Everything Tig ever did you? All that shit at Danny's place? That'll be a goddamn walk in the park, these men…" He crossed himself as he tugged on the orange shirt. "These men are monsters."

"I've had my share of nightmares." She was already resigned to it, he realised. She knew what was to come, what might potentially happen. She gritted her teeth as she tied her hair back into a ponytail and wrapped it up into a bun. "I'll be okay." She knocked on the door and the guard pulled it open, looking at them expectantly.

"Ready?"

He didn't wait for an answer, only tugged Nina out and pushed her down the corridor. Chibs walked quickly behind him, trying to keep up with her. He felt his throat tightening as the door to the yard was pushed open by another guard and Nina was shoved out into the bright sunshine. It didn't take more than a second for the baying to begin, and Chibs put an instinctive arm around her shoulders the second the guard let him past to try and protect her. She didn't say a word as she heard the howls and taunts of the men out in the yard, there was not one man out there who wasn't already determined to fuck her.

"Come on," Chibs said firmly, pulling her through the crowd. He scanned the crowd for Otto, maybe Lenny the pimp, but neither appeared to be out. He'd have to hunt them down the second he could, but right now he knew that he couldn't do anything but watch out for Nina. He guided her to a table, there was a seat on the corner and he pressed her onto it, eyeing the black guys at the table. One of them stared at Nina, his tongue almost hanging out of his head as he salivated over her with no attempt to hide his hunger for her.

"There's a charge, for that seat," he muttered, his hand running across the bench and resting on her thigh. Nina shot aside, squeezing her body up against Chibs' as she extricated herself from the man's touch. "Come on now, baby, that pretty little ass has already had the satisfaction, now you better give me some of the same."

Chibs guided Nina behind him as he squared up to the prisoner. What the hell was he doing? He was alone and outnumbered, there was no way Nina would be able to take care of herself out here. "Back off, hey? Let her settle down, she's only just got here."

The guy grinned and elbowed his friends. "What are you, her pimp? You think you're gonna charge for her, you skinny Irish prick?"

He made to swing at Chibs but Chibs ducked out of the way quickly. Nina pulled him back, raising her hands to try and placate the guy. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sit there. Let me just… get my bearings, okay?"

"I'll give you _barings_, baby," the guy smirked, grabbing at her shirt and yanking it up. Nina turned red, mortified as he exposed her bare back to the yard and a few of the guys hissed as they saw the reaper ingrained in her back. The man looked at the crew around him and nodded towards Chibs, spotting the SAMCRO ink on him too. These two, they could be easy prey. They stood, their big bodies showing signs of rough play out in the yard, and Nina felt herself shrinking with fear at the sight of them. Someone grabbed her, tugging her across, and Chibs reached to try and catch her but he wasn't fast enough.

"Hey!" he barked, trying to get to her, but suddenly half a dozen Mayans and Biz Lats swarmed around him, easing the black crew back as they surrounded Nina. Chibs watched as one of them put his arms around Nina, stroking her hair back and murmuring to her quietly in Spanish. She blushed, nodding, and Chibs watched as the guy kissed both of her cheeks and moved to block any further approach. A hand extended to him, motioning for Chibs to come and stand with the Mexicans.

"Paz," the guy muttered as he shook Chibs' hand. "Friend of Fiasco's, one of his crew." Chibs swallowed, Christ, he had forgotten that Nina had a strong tie to the Mexican clubs of Charming. Half these guys were probably from Nero's crew, if not Alvarez's. "How'd you land her in here?"

"She… upset a vengeful cop," Chibs muttered as he saw a couple of the guys lead Nina to a seat on the table and stand guard over her. There was enough muscle on show to back down the other crews in the yard, thank God he wasn't going to have to do this alone. "'Paperwork mistake,' they've told me. Won't let her go." He swallowed. "She shouldn't be here."

Paz nodded, pursing his lips as he studied the black gang in disgust. "Yeah, well you're gonna need all the help you can get with her. Like putting a gazelle in with hyenas, you know?" He glanced at her and wet his lips. From the look in his eye Chibs could tell that, however helpful this guy might be, he was still going to want something in return. "I'll take care of her, mano, don't you worry about it." Chibs nodded slowly, he would take their support but he could already see the way Paz was staring at her, like an oasis in the damn desert.

"Aye, I appreciate that, as will her Da," he said coolly. "This, this is all a mix up, we'll be out in a week but I'll make sure word gets back."

Paz chuckled. "Yeah, you do that." He leaned across Nina and stroked her cheek, touching the scar on her face as he stared at her. He spoke to her in Spanish, deliberately making sure that Chibs didn't understand a word, and Chibs felt the jealousy swarming through him as Nina smiled a little and nodded shyly at the stranger. Paz tilted her chin up towards him and pushed the softest of kisses on the corner of Nina's mouth, much to Chibs' chagrin. He gritted his teeth as he watched in sufferance as one of the Mayans edged him aside, giving Paz the control over her. When Nina twisted to look for Chibs, she felt Paz's hand grip her tightly and turn her attention back to him. "Now now," he soothed softly. "Don't worry about that old man. He can't take care of you in here like I will."

She could hear the threat in his tone and Nina nodded slowly, accepting it. All she knew was that she would be bundled back into a cell with Chibs at the end of the day, that was all she could bank on. There was no way Jarry would risk her being locked in with anybody else, she was positive. Right now, all they could do was keep themselves out of trouble the best way they could, and if that meant playing nice with the Biz Lats, that was just what she was going to have to do to keep them both safe.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N - Hey team! So the first part of this chapter's kinda fun, family at it's best... but the second half is not for the faint-hearted, it's really dark and not very nice at all. You have been warned...**

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><p>Jarry was beside herself with joy as she paced into Diosa with that look of contempt in her eyes as she gazed around at the women all over the place. It was early evening, business was beginning to pick up and Nero, who usually kept out of the way, was sitting in the corner in a hushed discussion with Tig while Natasha and Emily played a game with Chuckie who, for a change, had been allowed out as their own personal escort.<p>

"Is this an appropriate place for children?" Jarry asked, looking at Nero distastefully. His nostrils flared as he looked up at her and he patted Tig's shoulder as he stood.

"Nothing going on untoward, ma'am," he said coolly. "We've got licences, I can show you the paperwork. Nothing going on out here other than drinks and a little bit of flirting. They're under supervision."

Jarry raised an eyebrow as Chuckie clicked his fingers on the table, making Natasha giggle. She gestured to him. "And that? That's your supervision?"

"He doesn't touch himself any more," Tig assured her unhelpfully. Nero elbowed him to shut him up and Jarry rolled her eyes as she looked over him. Natasha was glaring at her now that Chuckie had lost her attention, and the dark scowl on the little girl's face expressed all of the hate she was unable to vocalise.

"Ma said you're not welcome here."

Jarry crouched down and eyed Natasha. "Oh? And where's your Ma now, huh?" She saw the look that passed between Nero and Tig, neither of them knew the answer either. She laughed for a moment before straightening up and watching as Emily scooped Natasha closer to her and whispered about that 'nasty bitch' quietly under her breath. "She's been taken into custody, that's where. Affiliated with the IRA, I've got Filip Telford being held too." Tig opened his mouth to speak but she waved her hand. "Don't waste your breath, I'm not interested. You can have your Prez back when I've got what I need. Until then..." She gestured to the girls. "Those two little mutts need to be taken in."

"I don't think so." Nero stood up suddenly, pushing her away with just his presence. "Sorry, lady, you can't just come in here. Those girls are my grandchildren."

"And their mother is a wanted criminal," Althea said sharply, looking at him with a narrow gaze. "One's father is in custody, the other's is..." She sneered at Tig. "Well, I've seen your file. You're not exactly a fit parent."

"He doesn't need to be," Nero objected. "You can't take those girls. I'm their legal guardian, in case of emergency, you can check the paperwork." Tig scowled, he had never been aware of that but Nero elbowed him to keep him quiet. The last thing he needed was Tig shooting his mouth of because he wanted to custody of the girls. Nina knew all too well that Tig and Chibs were far more likely to end themselves in hot water than Nero was, he had always been the back-up in case something happened to her.

Jarry looked put out. She had presumed the girls would be in their fathers' care, but Nero's astute and fierce defence of them made her hesitate. "I wasn't aware-"

"Then you haven't done your homework," Nero smirked. He messed Emily's hair as she took a step forward, squeezing between Tig and Chuckie to get a look at the woman who was trying to cause problems for her mother. "So, with all due respect, mama, you can get out of my place of business, huh? You're not welcome here."

Jarry's lip curled into a snarl as she looked at them and frowned. The threat would be enough for now, Nina had gone inside with the fear that her children wouldn't be waiting for her when she came out. That would have to do. She rubbed her hands together for a moment and then nodded, pushing her lower lip out as she forced a smile at Nero.

"Very well. You should put in a call to your lawyer, about Ms Padilla. I'd hate for her to get lost in the system, you know? It's so easy these days..." She trailed off with a smirk at Tig. "I imagine with a mouth that like she'll be worth a few inside, don't you think?"

Tig spat at her feet at the thought and motioned to the door. "We'll get her out, don't you worry about it," he muttered. "And, when the time's right, we'll even everything up. Every. Little. Thing."

It was impossible to ignore the threatening tone in his voice but Althea smiled. Chibs would never let the club hurt her, all she'd done was make Nina's life a little harder by throwing her into the mix at Stockton. She'd be a little less of a wise-ass by the time she came out, a couple of rough-ups would probably keep her in line next time.

"I look forward to it," Jarry teased, pulling on the edge of his cut as she walked out, the officers she had brought with her following suit. Tig groaned as he watched her walk away and he exchanged a look with Nero.

"I'll reach out to Otto, see what he can get on Chibs," he said quickly. "Tara made a couple of friends at WC, I'll get her to make a call." He could see the worry in Nero's eyes and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Daddy, she'll be fine. She's a big tough girl, you know her, she'll make friends wherever she is."

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><p>Nina always felt emotionally exhausted by the time they were marched back to the cells at the end of the day. Even with the Mexican contingent keeping her safe, there was nothing anybody could do to stop the abuse that constantly filled her ears. Her name had got around quickly, the unending sexual and derogatory comments were breaking her spirit down more and more every single day. But when they went back to their cells, when Chibs would lie in her bed and hold her while she cried herself to sleep, that was the only time she would feel okay.<p>

She felt her footsteps lightening as the guard led her towards her cell. She could see Chibs giving her a little thumbs up behind his back, this was it, this was time for them to be safe, just for a few hours, for them to be together. She started to allow herself to exhale the tense breath she held all day long when, suddenly, she saw the door to their room slammed shut and she was barrelled into the cell opposite.

"What is this?" Chibs called out, trying to reach for her through the bars but receiving a baton against his arm for his attempt. He roared in pain as he withdrew his arm and stared at her across the hall, wishing he could touch her. Although alone, Nina looked completely terrified. She had been used to the routine over the last couple of days, being isolated now filled her with an unprecedented sense of dread. "Nina, it's okay," he insisted before barking out, "What's going on?"

"Favours," the guard shrugged. He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, his back to the door as he lit a cigarette and relaxed. "Calm down, you get to watch too."

"Watch?" Chibs felt heat prickling his ears. He'd been made to watch before, here in Stockton. Opie's bloody face regularly haunted his nightmares, the thought that something might happen to Nina in front of him made him want to vomit. "No, no, this is wrong, it's all wrong."

"It's all good, ese."

He turned on hearing Paz's voice and Chibs knew, almost instantly, what was going to happen. He choked, balling his fist and biting his knuckles as he saw Paz give the guard a rough hug and push some more money into his hand. The Biz Lat motioned behind him for another guy to join him, led through by a couple of the off-duty guards. Chibs put his hand over his mouth, sure he was going to vomit as he saw the innocent way Nina was looking at her supposed friends.

"You son of a bitch."

Chibs watched as the guard patted Paz down before opening Nina's cell for him to go in. Nina, nervous, stood instantly as Paz beckoned to her, putting his arms around her and pressing a lingering kiss onto her cheek.

"Language, mano," Paz chuckled as he stroked Nina's hair. "She's a lady, gotta watch your tongue around her, right?" Chibs could see Nina was frozen to the spot, uncertain. The guards were lolling about, passing around a bottle of Jack as they lit up and watched the two men prowling around the cell, staring at the woman between them.

"You can't," Chibs objected vociferously, desperately trying to plead with one of the guards. "Come on, she's not even meant to be in here."

"Makes it more off the record, then," one of them chuckled. "Now shut up or I'll move you down the hall."

Nina could sense the impending and her eyes locked onto Chibs' carefully. "Don't go," she mouthed breathlessly. "Please."

As much as he wanted to, Chibs knew he couldn't do it. He couldn't leave her, no way, not in here, not like this. Biting his tongue, he watched as Paz edged Nina against the wall and pushed his lips to her throat, sucking gently on her jaw as his hand snuck up beneath the white vest she wore. Nina closed her eyes, screwing them shut as she pushed his hand away.

"What are you doing?" she said, trying to keep as much firmness as she could in her voice. "Get off me."

Paz chuckled for a second, laughing off her rejection as he stepped back. For a brief moment, Nina thought she might be safe, only for the other guy, a monstrous brute called Leo, to slam his fist into her jaw and send her flying against the wall. The guards roared with amusement and Chibs moaned softly as he watched her pick herself up again, blinking to try and refocus. The second she was steady, Paz had his hand around her throat as he pushed her back, squeezing her tightly.

"Don't be disrespectful," he growled, his lips millimetres from hers. "I've done nothing but take care of you since you got here, Nina. Be a good girl, now."

"Yeah, Nina," one of the guards teased. "Be a good girl." The others laughed and Chibs could feel his heart, heavy in his chest as he watched the distraught way she looked around for some sort of support. As her eyes rested on him, Paz followed her gaze and laughed.

"You think he can help you?" He grinned and hurled her against the metal grate so that she was facing Chibs. "Go on, ask him to help you." Nina shook her head and Leo, yanking her leg hard, twisted it until he heard a satisfying snap that made her cry out as she collapsed against the gate. "Ask him."

Chibs could feel the tears in his eyes as he looked at Nina as she stood there, struggling, her gaze lost as she stammered, "Help me."

Paz grinned darkly as he prised her fingers from the bars and wrapped his arm around her throat, dragging her shirt up to undo the cord on her pants. He pulled it with an agonising kind of slowness, letting it unfurl before he allowed those loose orange clothes drop to the ground, exposing her long, bare legs to those around her. The guards jeered and hooted approvingly as they saw her underwear, but Chibs stood by, mortified, unable to do a goddamn thing.

"All these guys are here to watch you," Paz murmured, his teeth nipping at her ear sharply. "Do you like that? I bet you do."

Something about the way he said it gave Nina strength. She kicked back furiously, slamming her heel up into his stomach, and Paz spluttered as she tore away from him, limping heavily as she tried to shy away. Leo grabbed her, twisting both of her arms behind her back as he did, and crushed her to the floor. Nina fought back fiercely, determined to free herself, but Leo chuckled as he grabbed her wrist and twisted it in a clean break. Paz snarled as he got up and punched her hard, his knuckles slamming into her nose with a satisfying crunch that made the watchmen all hiss.

"Bad girl," he muttered, cupping her face between his thumb and index and squeezing her hard. Chibs winced as he heard the bone in her jaw shatter under the pressure of his hold. "Behave."

"No." Nina managed to choke out her answer through gritted teeth, spitting blood on the floor, and Paz laughed as Leo gave her another few smacks to quiet her. Yanking her up, Paz hurled her against the gate, her forehead smacking the metal as she collapsed against it, already weak.

"No?" he murmured. He tore her white vest down the back and dropped it from her shoulders, exposing her bare body to them all. "This isn't a negotiation, _babygirl_."

Hearing him use Nero's private name for her was the thing that broke her. Nina barely moved as she felt Paz drag her waist, hooking his fingers into her panties and pulling them down to the hoots and applause of the guards. She closed her eyes, knowing all too well that Chibs could do nothing but watch as this stranger dropped his pants and pushed himself roughly into her. Any pain, any fear was overcome by an almighty sense of shame as Nina suffered the stranger's violent, eager movements as he filled her body, stretching her, hurting her and diminishing her with every thrust.

"Keep her standing," the guard growled, leaning through the bars as he caressed Nina's breast with one hand. He chuckled as he saw the forlorn expression on her face and murmured, "Just pretend it's your boyfriend over there." He motioned towards Chibs and Chibs rattled his cage furiously, desperate to be able to get to her but knowing he had no way.

"You and that gringo, huh?" Paz spat, digging his nails into her skin tighter as he glared at Chibs. "Just like your Daddy, right? Like them white?" He slapped her ass and Nina couldn't hold back her tears any more, it was impossible.

"Filip, please," she managed to whisper. "Make it stop."

Chibs stared at her helplessly. He reached for one of the guards, trying to get their attention away from their sick show. "Come on, you can't do this to her. Please, you have to help her."

"Get back, convict," the guard snapped, elbowing Chibs roughly in the face. "Stop trying to ruin our fun. You can have her back when they're done. If you want her," he added with a grin. "Maybe I'll take a go first."

Chibs roared at the threat, desperately trying to get free as he could do nothing but watch as all of the usual lightness in Nina drained from her eyes, leaving her looking haunted and pale. When Paz finally gave up on her, he gave her a thump that sent her to her knees in a sobbing heap, with a kick to her ribs.

"Anyone else want a piece?" he asked, gesturing to her. Chibs growled angrily, pointing to the blood pooling from her mouth.

"She needs a doctor," he said quickly. "Now, she needs one now or you all go down."

One of the guards, who had been joking around with the others about taking his turn, glanced down at Nina to see the red on the floor, spilling from her lips as she hyperventilated on the tile ground. The rough scuffle had obviously done more than just broken her jaw, he grimaced as he nodded.

"Get out of here," he said roughly, pulling the gate open and giving Paz a shove out. "Take them back to their room, I'll get a medic for her. That was good," he added, calling after the two Biz Lats as they scarpered away. "We can repeat every day while she's in Stockton."

"You piece of shite," Chibs growled, desperate to kill every single one of these assholes the moment he could. "Get her a doctor, and tell Jarry we need to talk. Now." He crouched down, trying to get Nina's attention but he could see she was almost unconscious from the pain. "It's okay, love. You're going to be okay."


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N - Hey guys. Hope you're not all feeling as grungy as I did after I wrote that last chapter. Hope this one helps, Chibs is not going to be letting this slide, that's for sure...**

Jarry expected to see a defeated sort of look on Chibs' face when he was brought into the interview room, but the ghostly, grey expression she was greeted with made her feel a little queasy. She nodded for the guard to leave, she didn't need anyone else interrupting them, and she waited for him to sit down before speaking. Chibs slumped down, his head aching from crying and worry, and his cuffs clattered against the table as he sat.

"Rough night?" she asked with her usual amused sort of smile. Chibs didn't even have the energy to try and spar with her, he simply closed his eyes and arched his fingertips against each other.

"Whatever it is you want, you can have it," he said coldly. "You let Nina Padilla go."

Jarry smiled a little and reached across the table affectionately for him. All she'd wanted since getting back here was him, that was simple. Chibs didn't withdraw his hands but he didn't respond, he just remained motionless, like an animal waiting for the touch to be over. "Is she having a tough time in here?" Her tone was teasing and Chibs blinked an eye open, trying to control himself. She had no idea.

"Aye, she is." He swallowed. "Putting her in here, that was cruel."

"It was an accident," Althea shrugged with a smile. "Guess all the paperwork lined up for the head of the IRA was for a guy, there must have been a mistake. She'll be moved, probably in a couple of days." She leaned down to catch his eye. "I'm sure you're being a perfectly nice cell mate."

"I was trying to take care of her." Chibs pushed his lips together for a moment. "Until she was taken to medsec."

Jarry laughed and rolled her eyes. "Medsec? What, were her ovaries hurting?"

She didn't realise how close her joke cut to the bone and Chibs gritted his teeth into a hard line as he focused his breath, using everything he had within him not to tear her apart right there. He needed out, he needed to be there for Nina and ripping Althea Jarry to shreds with his bare hands wouldn't help him with that.

"She was definitely hurting," he muttered, rubbing his lip with his thumb. "I'm not sure if it was being punched in the face or raped that made her bleed, though."

It took Althea a moment to realise what he had said before she went white. "What?"

Chibs glared at her now, a look of dark, accusatory contempt in his eyes. "Two Mexicans and four of your white trash guards here beat the living shite out of her. Smashed her jaw." Jarry put her hand to her mouth and Chibs laughed darkly. "Oh, it didn't stop there. They then humiliated her. Broke her bones so she couldn't fight back. Fucked her, against her will, until she physically couldn't stand." He was doing everything he could to not let his voice break as he said it. "Threw her in the goddamn dirt when they were done. And made me watch the whole thing."

He was so fragile as he spoke, Althea felt awful. She reached to touch him but this time Chibs leaned back, pulling his hands away from them and resting them on his lap.

"Filip, I- I didn't know. That was never meant to happen."

"Well it did." He was abrupt as he said it. "And I want her to go home now, so whatever it is you want for me, whatever you did all that for? You can have it. I won't put her through that again." He swallowed, heat prickling his eyeballs as he remembered their threat. "And they'll do it to her again."

Jarry could feel her heart beating faster. "I didn't do this," she insisted. "I swear, Filip."

"Don't lie to me." He was controlling the anger in his voice, but only barely. Jarry gulped as she saw him vibrating, so desperate to explode. "You worked here for too long, you know the system, you know those people, Ally."

"I would never do that," Althea said. "That, that's sick."

"You're sick." Chibs tapped his temple. "You're sick in the fucking head, putting her in here. Your twisted little 'accident'. You're lucky they didn't kill her."

Jarry knew that. She nodded slowly. "I'll get her out. I'll keep her in isolation, until I can get the papers-"

"No, you get her out and you get her to Saint Thomas. Now," Chibs added sharply. "And you get me out of here. We're in here on bullshite, if you're going to arrest me, at least do it properly. Give me a little more credit, yourself too. Don't lock me up on a double cross."

Jarry blushed at that. "It's in the system. I can get you out, but Padilla-"

"Nina." His eyes narrowed. "Her name is Nina, she's my Nina."

"She's a member of the IRA, Filip," Jarry murmured, trying to explain. "It's not like she's some low level criminal, this is an international investigation. This is over my head."

Chibs laughed and shook his head. "It will be," he growled. "When I get the report filed, that you allowed a woman to be tortured and raped through deliberate 'clerical error.' I know what you did," he added, pointing at her. "Because you're a jealous, psychotic bitch who couldn't bear to see me happy with anyone but you."

Jarry shivered at his tone. His eyes were dark, threatening, she had never seen him look like that before and it scared her. "Filip-"

"No more of that," he muttered coldly. "You get us out, both of us, and I won't tell your boss that you're on the take. Don't think they're so keen on that, where you work. The rest... The rest we can sort out when I know she's safe and your charges all disappear. Understood?"

Jarry was sitting in her seat, feeling like a scolded schoolgirl. Chibs' tone frightened her, there was no getting around it. "I did it for you," she whispered. "I just, I wanted us to be good again."

"You get us both out of here," he repeated. "The rest we can clear up when I know she's okay." He gritted his teeth, hating himself for having to play the damn game as he looked up at her. He had to convince her, he knew how it worked. He'd need her trust to be able to destroy her. "That'll be between you, and me. Private."

Jarry felt her lips curling into the smallest of smiles beneath his gaze and she nodded, thinking he was promising her what she wanted in exchange for the evidence disappearing. "I'll do what I can," she said. "Some stuff, it'll be on the network-"

"You just tell me where and I'll deal with it." Chibs pressed his lips together. "Once she's clear, then, don't worry. I'll make sure you're taken care of."


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N - Oh, it's getting vengeful up in Charming! You just wait until Nina comes around...**

**As always, thank you all so much for the support and love and feedback, I absolutely love it and I know this ride is crazy right now but, hey, just wait until Tig finds out ;-) No but seriously, thank you. And I saw a question about if this is the last part? Yes, I think it is - but there will be a story in the future, about life in Charming with Nina's daughters being a little older... And Nina will be around, for sure... So I hope that helps, for now!**

**Love, as always, S xx**

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><p>Tara eased another syringe into the wire in Nina's arm. She saw the woman's eyelashes flicker as the drugs washed through her body, stilling her in her anxious sleep, and Tara stroked Nina's hair back from her forehead. Nero was sitting beside his daughter, holding onto her hand and kissing her knuckles softly as he whispered to her in Spanish.<p>

"Thanks, Tara," Nero murmured, glancing up at her for a brief second before focusing back on his girl. "She, uh, she's so restless."

Tara nodded. "She's feverish. All the breaks, she brought up a lot of blood by the look of it. Bruise on her stomach, think she must have been kicked pretty hard. We've replaced her fluids, given her as many pain meds as we can."

Nero closed his eyes as he rubbed Nina's hand against his beard, trying to comfort her in her sleep. "And you sorted her out? Contraceptives, that kind of thing?"

Tara could see how hard it was for him to ask. She gave him a tight smile, none of them wanted to go through that mess again. "Of course," she assured him, caressing his shoulder. "I know this is hard, Nero, but we're doing everything to make this as easy as possible for her." He nodded but didn't speak. "I've told the club to keep their distance, until she's awake, until she's ready."

Nero laughed to himself. "She won't be ready, not for a long time." There was no way Nina would want to be anywhere near anyone for days if not weeks. "And we don't know? What happened?"

Tara shook her head. Jarry had made it very, very clear that there had been a monumental federal fuck up which needed to be kept under wraps, and the sudden increase in Tara's pay-check this month was a sure fire way of keeping her silence. "Some guy at Stockton. He must have been a guard or something, the only other person she might have seen was Chibs."

Nero's nostrils flared. The idea hadn't passed him by, that in some nasty fit of anger, Chibs had attacked her. He rubbed his finger over Nina's knuckles, trying to shake the dark thought from his mind. "Chibs, I don't think he could do this, he-" He didn't want to entertain the thought, the mere concept alone was killing him. "There's no report, nothing?"

"I'm sorry, I've got nothing."

Tara patted his back as she walked out and Nero was left in silence with Nina. The rhythmic beep of the heart machine made him sad, he couldn't bear to see her so close to the line, not because of him or the life he had led her into. He glanced up to see a couple of Irish guards on the door, conferring quietly. They hadn't left the building since she had been transferred here, and Nero sighed. What was she doing, getting mixed in with the IRA? Nina was nothing but his little girl, she wasn't a terrorist, she wasn't a gun runner. All he wanted her to be was his daughter and the mother of his grandkids.

"Jesus, babygirl, what are you mixed up with?"

He heard a heated argument in the hall and stood as he saw Chibs barge into the room. Nero backed the guards down with an assurance that he was okay, that he would take care of Nina, and he watched as Chibs paced in, walking carefully around the bed as he looked at the woman stretched out.

"Oh Mary, mother of Christ." He rested his hands on the metal bar, slumping forward. "Nina, I'm so sorry."

Nero couldn't stop himself. He grabbed Chibs, clutching his cut as he yanked him back and threw him against the wall. "You piece of shit, I knew it was you." Before Chibs could object, Nero punched him hard, again and again, unable to control his anger. Chibs spluttered as he tried to push him away, groaning as his lip split.

"No, no, I would never touch her!" He put his hands up in front of his face, trying to confess his innocence. "Nero, fuck, you don't understand. It was Jarry." The words made Nero cold and his whole body froze up instantly.

"The sheriff?"

Chibs pressed the heel of his hand to his mouth. "Aye, the sheriff. She's out of her goddamn mind." He looked at the blood on his hand and shook his head. "She had Nina thrown into Stockton. Genpop, not women's correctional. Fuck, I thought we were okay at first, some brown friends of yours helped the first couple of days but..." He wrinkled his nose, unsure of what to say. "Paz, you know him?"

Nero nodded slowly. "Fiasco's brother." He paused, glancing at Nina and scratching his chin. "They used to play together, when they were kids," he murmured, motioning to her. "Gave him a clout when he was nine for trying it on with her. She was a little girl, mano."

Chibs winced as he said it. "Aye. Turns out... he didn't forget that." He looked Nero steadily in the eye. "He paid the guards to isolate her. Shite, Nero, he... He..." He couldn't say it. Chibs felt his lip quiver and he shook his head, he couldn't say it, not again. Nero didn't need to hear it, he already knew as he saw the expression on Chibs' face. As Chibs suddenly burst into tears, Nero put his arms around him, hugging him tight as he sobbed, "Christ, Nero, they made me fucking watch what they did to her and I couldn't do a goddamn thing."

Nero could feel bile rising in his stomach as he heard the words. "Jesus. Your cop girlfriend?"

"She says she didn't know," Chibs muttered, wiping his nose on his forearm as Nero stepped back and sat purposefully at the foot of the bed. "She fudged the paperwork, had Nina put in general. Wanted to teach her some sort of lesson."

"I got a lesson alright," Nero muttered but Chibs shook her head.

"You can't," he said. Nero opened his mouth, furious that Chibs was defending Jarry even now but Chibs raised his hands. "No, it's not for us to settle. It's for Nina." He swallowed. "We have to wait."

Nero put his hand to his forehead, distressed. "But, she's my little Nina." He shook his head. "She's my little girl, she's good, mano. Got a good heart. She's not dirty, like us, like we've been our whole lives. Nina, she's pure. Like my Lucius. Like Emily, like Natasha, they're not monsters like us."

Chibs wanted to believe it but he shook his head. His hands shook as he searched his pockets for a cigarette and pulled one out, struggling with the lighter but sighing as he finally managed to make it spark. "Nina needs to settle her own score," he said, more firmly now as the nicotine surged through him. "She needs to make her own decision, about Paz, about the guards, about Althea Jarry." Nero wasn't convinced and Chibs muttered, "Don't let her live with the ghosts, Nero. She needs to end this herself, know that she's safe. She's IRA, she knows what she's doing."

"No, she's not." Nero didn't want to hear it. "Those men, they have black hearts and they say they're doing it for God. She doesn't buy into that shit, the God we believe in doesn't need murder and death. That Irish bullshit, it's nothing to do with her."

"Maybe not religiously," Chibs muttered. "But for business? She spent years isolated and alone for exactly that. We can't exact this revenge, it's not our place. But we can help her, and we can position it." He leaned closer now. "We keep Jarry close, and we don't let on. I've told her I won't tell anyone what happened, and you can't either. Not right now. Nina, she'll need her Da when she comes around, not a fixer. You just need to be there for her, give her the love and the support that she needs. Jarry..." He sneered as he said her name. "I'll keep her on a short leash until Nina's ready."

Nero closed his eyes. "I don't want that blood on her hands, mano."

"She'll want it," Chibs whispered coldly. "Believe me, I know she will. What they did to her?" He shook his head. "And we keep it for her, we owe her that. So nobody knows the truth but us, not Gemma, not the girls, not the club. And especially not Tig," he said firmly. "We keep things pleasant until it's time."

His words were so loaded that Nero rubbed the back of his head slowly. "And what happens then, Prez?"

Chibs leaned across Nina and pushed the gentlest of kisses on her swollen lips. He wiped a couple of droplets of sweat from her brow and he sighed before looking at Nero and murmuring,

"Then we kill them all."


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N - Hi guys! So I wrote one quite late last night, so make sure you have a look at that before you get onto the next chapter (Nero/Chibs at the hospital) - but enjoy! Nina'll be up and about in the next chapter, hurrah! But how will she be feeling about everything...?**

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><p>Chibs could feel the weight of his secret burden on his shoulders as he walked into the clubhouse. Whatever conversation the others were having halted instantly as he came in, and Natasha catapulted over towards him, hugging his leg tightly as she hit him with the full weight of her little body. Chibs leaned down, kissing her forehead before he lifted her and held her tightly, cuddling the little girl to him, wishing and praying that nothing so horrible would ever, ever happen to her.<p>

"Why are you crying, Da?" she asked, seeing the sadness etched on his expression. Any anger she had had for him had dissipated, all she could see was that he was sad and that it was her place to fix that where she could. "Uncle Tig said that nasty police officer was mean to you."

Chibs glanced up to see Tig was watching him carefully, studying his every move as he crossed the club. Chibs perched Natasha on the edge of the bar as he got himself a beer and took a long sip, wishing it could just erase all of the dark memories in his mind but knowing that it would probably only make him obsess over them worse. That was what he really wanted. He never wanted to let those thoughts go. Nina never could, why should he be allowed to escape it?

"Aye, she was mean, poppet," he murmured, burying his nose in Natasha's hair and breathing her in. She smelled of talcum powder and strawberry shampoo, she was such a small child and he was keeping her in this world. It wasn't right, he couldn't put her in the path of the maniacs they were surrounded with. He could see Emily and Thomas talking quietly in the corner, squished together into one armchair beside each other, way too close. The sight made him feel sick, they were kids and the club was exposing them to a world that was way, way above their heads.

"Is Ma okay?" Natasha asked astutely, looking at the expression on his face as she hung off his hip and Chibs carried her to the couch. "Is she coming home soon too?"

Chibs nodded as he plopped her down, he could see Tig circling, listening in for some sort of information. "Your Ma, she just needs some rest for a few days, then she'll be home, okay?" Natasha pouted.

"Can I make her a card?"

He put his hand to his mouth to stifle his desire to sob and nodded slowly. "Aye, Tash, she'd love that. Why don't you and your sister make one together, hey? Let me and your uncle Tig talk."

Chuckie swooped in dutifully and escorted them aside as Tig dropped himself down on the table opposite Chibs' seat. He could see that the beer Chibs was drinking was doing nothing for him, and clicked his fingers at Jax to bring them something stronger. Jax nodded and carried over a bottle of whisky which Chibs grabbed instantly and Tig watched as he took a long, long swig, letting it soak through his body in an attempt to wash some of the thoughts away.

"What's happened?" Tig asked, shooing the prospect away. Jax grunted but left, and Chibs waited for him to be out of earshot before he spoke.

"Nothing. Althea Jarry, just fucking with us." He didn't want to say any more than that. "Nina, she just needs a couple of days to recoup, that's all."

"Recoup?" Tig knew what that meant, he wasn't an idiot. It didn't take a genius to piece together Tara's warning about going to Saint Thomas and Chibs' evasive behaviour. "She at the hospital?" Chibs didn't answer and Tig, trying not to push it too hard immediately, lowered his voice to a whisper as he muttered, "Emmy. She's a smart girl, Prez, she's asking a lot of questions. Where Grandpa is, why Mom's not been home but you have if you were both in trouble."

Chibs laughed darkly. "You tell her that her mother's working at the head of one of the most wanted criminal organisations of all time?"

"Not really a bedtime story," Tig chuckled. "They like, like, ponies and shit. Seriously, man." He put his hand on Chibs' shoulder. "Where is she?"

"She just needs some time," Chibs repeated coolly. Tig could see that he wasn't going to give him any more, he was already sure she was at Saint Thomas but he would have to wait until Chibs was a little more relaxed before he slipped away to go looking for her. He sat back a little and Happy descended between them, bumping Tig across his seat on the edge of the table.

"How was Stockton?" he asked roughly. The colour drained from Chibs' face at the question and he looked down at his hands, trying to suppress the urge to be sick at the very word.

"Worse than usual," he managed to mutter. "Those bastard guards." He looked up at Tig, they were both thinking of Opie at the very mention of them. "They get worse every time, I swear."

Happy shrugged as he patted his shoulder. "You look like you came out pretty unscathed, brother. You're okay."

Shit. Chibs saw the statement filter through Tig's brain. His eyes flickered and he was up on his feet instantly. "Oh Christ." Chibs launched at him to try and stop him but Tig was much faster than that, skirting past him, shoving Happy towards him to slow him down as he scarpered across the clubhouse to get out to his bike. Chibs scrabbled against Happy as he tried to get him out of the way, but by the time he managed to get outside, Tig was already on his bike and racing up the drive towards the street.

Tig was sure he had never driven so fast in his entire life. He barely even managed to slam the Harley into park out the front of the hospital as he ran through the hospital, shouting Nina's name at the receptionist but not waiting for a response as he noticed one of the Irish guards leaning against the wall of one of the rooms. He shoved past, barrelling past the guy as he exploded into Nina's room to see Nero sitting there at her feet, his eyes closed in prayer.

"No." Tig's feet suddenly rooted to the spot, he couldn't even bare to look at the bloody state of the woman in the bed. He swallowed, his hands in his hair, as his breath quickened. The second he could focus on her, properly, he couldn't stop staring. Nero rubbed his mouth slowly as he stood, kissing Nina's toes as he got up and walked over to Tig. He put his arm around his shoulders, the two suddenly bonded completely by their love of the girl lying in that room.

"Sit down," he said encouragingly, leading Tig to a seat and pushing him to rest. He could see Tig's anxious eyes roaming back and forth over her, trying to work out all of the bandages across her body. Nero swallowed, he knew it all already but he was sure Tig would want to know. "Jaw's broken on the left hand side. Right arm cracked, right wrist. Left leg, just below the knee's shattered. Couple of ribs crushed, a re-break, the doc said." The catalogue made Tig feel sick, he had done it to others more than enough times but never a woman, never.

"Stockton guards?" he managed to choke. All Nero wanted to do was tell him everything, Tig would clear up the mess in an instant, not wait like Chibs wanted to. Tig would make sure that Nina would never be involved, he'd take the prison time with a smile on his goddamn face.

"Apparently," Nero said quietly. "They, uh…" He didn't want to tell Tig the worst of it, but he handed him the clipboard from the end of the bed and pointed out the results of the rape kit so he wouldn't have to say it out loud. He could see Tig having to control the double surge of both fury and guilt as he read it. "She's clear. Just needs time now."

Chibs hurtled into the room to see Tig resting his hand very softly on Nina. He felt his heart tighten at the sight, Tig standing there, taking care of her in a way that Chibs just hadn't been able to. The thought of her pleading for his help made him weak and Chibs felt himself growing faint as he leaned against the door heavily, keeping himself upright. Tig was glaring at him accusatorially as he prowled around the bed now, instantly on the defence.

"You should have told me," he said coldly, his voice a low, threatening whisper. "You should have helped her." Chibs shook his head.

"I couldn't, brother."

Tig could feel the anger within him growing in an instant. "Couldn't? Or wouldn't?" Chibs opened his mouth to object but Tig simply laughed. "Is this you, defending Jarry? You still that desperate to get your dick wet, Prez?" He laughed now, a detached, dangerous sort of laugh that made Chibs feel cold. "You're a piece of fucking work."

"You have no idea-" Chibs started to answer but Tig didn't even hesitate as he pulled his gun out and held it, aiming steadily at Chibs' forehead.

"Get out," he muttered. "You should have taken care of her, and you didn't. And when you knew that I could, you didn't want to tell me. You don't deserve to be here, and you sure as fuck don't deserve her." Chibs hesitated but Tig was unflinching. "Get out, Chibs. Look after the club, and yourself, that's all you're good for."

The second Chibs backed down, Tig put his gun down and leaned his face on the pillow beside Nina, watching her dutifully. Nero was leaning against the window, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to get his head around everything. When Chibs looked at him beseechingly, Nero shook his head and shrugged.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I just need her to be with whoever can keep her safe."


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N - Nina's up and she has plans... Enjoy!**

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><p>Nina had been awake for half an hour before she even dared to try and open her eyes. She had been listening to the constant, steady beeping of the heart rate monitor and carefully trying to work out who was in the room with her. She was sure she could hear her father thumbing through the paper quietly, but she didn't dare venture a noise until she was more sure of herself. It was the first thing Galen had taught her.<p>

One eye opened far easier than the other, she could feel her eyelid was swollen. She had been practicing grinding her teeth in an attempt to open her mouth but her tongue had proved that everything was so swollen, it was going to be difficult. Even flaring her nostrils hurt, trying to actually move her limbs would be something else entirely. She could feel the dull, constant ache in her body, she knew that her ribs were broken, she'd known that pain before. The inability to move her leg, though, that was new. She tried to flex her fingers, she could move them but only just, and she whined softly as she tried to sit up.

Nero noticed almost instantly and tossed his newspaper to the side as he pulled his seat towards her. "Hey. Hey..." He smiled, a gentle smile to try and acclimatise her to her surroundings. "Good morning." Nina tried to get up, ignoring the searing pain through her waist, but Nero nudged her to lie down again. "No, don't."

"I'm fine," she muttered through her swollen lips. Nero knew she was stubborn, she always had been, but he was sure she might hurt herself like this.

"You're not," he said softly, edging her to lie down again. "Please, just rest, I'll get a nurse and Tig'll be thrilled to know you're up. We were all so worried about you, babygirl-"

"Don't call me that." Her words were cold as she managed to force them out and Nero frowned, unsure. He had called her that for her entire life, she had never objected before. He took a moment to try and read her but it was almost impossible with her face so swollen and exaggerated. "I have things to do."

"Nina, you can't." He looked at her pleadingly. "Do you even know what happened?" He could see that she did, and that she was choosing to ignore it. Nina was keeping her head held high, she wasn't going to acknowledge what had happened. "You need to rest."

"Where are the girls?" she asked shortly. Nina knew what would happen, Nero would convince her to give in and rest but all she wanted to do was go and rectify a few things immediately. Nero nodded.

"They're at the club. Nina, you can't do anything like this. You can barely sit up, let alone walk. Here," he added, getting up. "Let me get Tig, will that help?"

She didn't answer but he walked out of the room and returned barely a moment later with Tig right behind him, anxiously trying to squeeze past him. Nina forced a smile, painful as it was, as Tig sat down beside her, carefully stroking any in damaged part of her skin with his exploratory thumbs.

"You're awake," he said, unsure of what he should say to her. He looked at Nero, waiting for him to affirm that he wasn't just seeing things, that Nina really was sitting right there. "Fuck, I was scared shitless, baby."

All he wanted to do was crawl over her and wrap her tightly in his arms but he knew that he could barely touch her. Instead, he leaned over and pushed a kiss onto her skin. Where Nina would normally have melted beneath his touch, she kept herself tightly within herself, she didn't want to even acknowledge it. She waited patiently for him to withdraw from her, knowing that the only way she could keep herself safe was to trust nobody but herself.

Tig looked over at Nero anxiously, he could tell something was very wrong but Nero shook his head, he didn't know what to advise. "Maybe give her some space, mano," he murmured. Tig shrank back and sat at the foot of the bed, not taking his eyes off her.

"Can I go now?" Nina asked. Tig laughed.

"I don't think so, baby. You're going to need a crutch if not a wheelchair for a month, you're better staying here until you can move properly."

Nina swallowed as she looked around through her restricted vision. "I have things to do," she said coldly. She tried to get up again but Tig pressed her to stay still.

"Then delegate," he said. She was so stilted with him, the woman he had been so obsessed with seemed miles away from the girl lying here. "What do you need me to do?"

Nina pushed her lips together as best she could. "I'm not going to delegate things I need to do myself," she muttered. Nero wrinkled his nose, he could tell that she was holding onto the hatred.

"You know, being angry at someone, it's like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die," he advised gently. "Let Tig help you. It's what he does."

"It's what I do too," she answered sharply. "I know what I'm doing."

"I don't doubt that you do," Tig said, trying to understand her. This coldness in her, it was upsetting to him. The Nina he loved so deeply simply wasn't there any more. He remembered how much support Gemma had needed after her ordeal with those neo-Nazis, this was going to be so much worse. "But, Nina, you were beaten up. You were..." He swallowed, he didn't even want to say it. "You were raped."

"No." She wouldn't accept it, she didn't want to. "I'm fine, I just need you to let me go and see my girls and get on with what I have to do."

"You need to heal," Tig said. Damn it, this kind of softly-softly shit was exactly what Chibs was good at. Maybe he needed him here. "You need-"

"I need you to get Happy here," Nina announced abruptly. "Please. I need to talk to him."

Nero exchanged a look with Tig, confused. "Happy? Lowman?"

"No, Happy from the seven goddamn dwarves, of course I mean Lowman." Nina was getting impatient. "He's the only one of you lot that treats me like what I am, like a soldier. So stop trying to cuddle me up in kid gloves and get him." Even arguing with them was making her tired, she relaxed her head back against the pillow. "I'm not saying another word until he's here."

She sat stalwartly, staring at the wall until Tig realised that she wasn't messing around. He frowned but got up and called Happy dutifully, keeping one eye on her the entire time he was on the call. Nero, unsure what else he could do with Nina so clearly in denial, watched and waited in silence. An awkward twenty minutes passed before Happy strode in.

"Hey."

It was the only greeting she got, and Nina smiled as well as she could when she saw him. She motioned for the other two to leave and Nero got up, ushering Tig out to give Nina the privacy she needed. Happy stood motionless at the end of the bed, looking at her, logging the injuries in his mind just on sight. He motioned to her wrist.

"That broken?" She nodded and he pushed his lip out. "That'll take three weeks, all of it, until you're on your feet."

"I know." She grimaced. "But I'll be back up." Happy grunted approvingly.

"I know you will."

"You're the only one who does," she murmured. "I need you to help me. The other guys, they won't let me to do what I need to. They're treating me like a child." Happy nodded, he understood both his brothers' concern but Nina's insistence to keep going was something he was proud of.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She closed her eyes for a moment and then nodded.

"I just had a shitty time in Stockton, I'll be okay as soon as things start moving, I swear." She smiled, grateful to finally be asked her feelings instead of being told how she should behave. "I need you to talk to Chibs, tell him he needs to find the guard. You guys, you can sort that out, he'll know what that means." Happy nodded and Nina leaned forward, ignoring the pain as she reached for his hand. "But those Biz Lats, and Jarry? Those are mine."

The way she said it made Happy sure that she had her reasons. He nodded. "Whatever you need, Nina." He could see the iciness in her face and he moved towards her, tilting her chin up and pushing an affectionate kiss into the less bruised side of her mouth. "You know I've got your back."


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N - We all knew that this would be gruesomely violent, so just a heads up for those of you with a delicate constitution, this is a little on the grim side. However, hope it gives you a little bit of satisfaction, sure did for me writing it! **

**As always - and now more than ever - thank you for all of your love and support in writing this. It's an absolute killer and I can't believe how far all of these people have come, but the ride has been brilliant and I love the way you root. All of your reads, reviews, follows and favourites mean the world to me, and I love writing with you all!**

**As ever, enjoy...**

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><p>"Poker night."<p>

Tig tossed down a scrap of paper on the table in front of Chibs. Happy nodding approvingly, flexing his fingers as he did so, and he looked at Chibs, waiting for him to say something. Chibs simply stared at the name and address scribbled on the piece of paper, unsure of how to react to it. The thought that those men, those four men, would all be in one place, made him sick. They'd be playing cards, smoking, drinking, laughing. Just like they had in Stockton. Like what they had done to her was a game.

"Prez?" Bobby tapped the table in front of him, making Chibs jump a little as he did. "You with us?"

Chibs rubbed his jaw slowly and nodded. "Aye, I'm with you," he murmured quietly. "Sorry, I was just thinking."

"You going to tell us what this is about?" Juice asked, looking down the table with concern in his eyes. Whatever was bothering Chibs was clearly distracting him in a big way, and Chibs sighed as he shook his head.

"Some arsehole in Stockton. Smacked Nina around." He could see Tig was brimming with rage, wanting to say exactly what had happened to the rest but it was clear that Chibs wasn't ready to share that information. Happy sat sullenly, staring forward, upset by the thought and Bobby blew out the air in his cheeks.

"Shit."

"Yeah." Chibs swallowed down the hate in his stomach, he didn't want to think about it any more. "So we find him, we find his friends, and we kill every single one of them."

It seemed like big punishment, to take out a group for the sins of one but the others all nodded in agreement. Chibs looked determined, they weren't going to argue with that unhinged look in his eyes, that was for sure. Rat piped up at the end of the table. "She okay, Prez? Nina?"

Chibs wished he knew the answer. He looked deferentially to Tig, who shrugged, wishing he could really answer that question. "She's sore. Body's fucked up, will take her a while to get back on her feet. Just trying to keep her out of the way, Irish have her room on lockdown." He grimaced as he glanced at Chibs. "I'd imagine Galen's on his way over, though."

That was something nobody really wanted. Galen was an underhand, violent psychopath, if he was in Charming, nothing was going to end well, that was for sure. "Probably to finish her off," Bobby muttered darkly. "You know what he's like, if she's not useful…"

The thought made Chibs feel sick. "Rat, you stay with her," he said. "I want to take the prospect with us to the poker game, seems appropriate after last time," he added, motioning towards the bar where Jax sat alone. "Must be nearly ten years since Ope, he could do with the chance to mark that."

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><p>They descended on the house in silence. Chibs stalked past the window, looking in through the tap in the blinds to see the four men with thick cigars clamped in their teeth, an open bottle of whisky on the table as they laughed and shared a pizza, grubby hands slamming plastic playing cards down on the table with roars of amusement as they did. The main guard was sitting with his back to the door, one foot up on the edge of his seat, waving his hands dramatically as he described something. Chibs was sure it must be what they had done to Nina, and the thought made his fist clench in the darkness. He would kill him, and it would hurt.<p>

He motioned to the others, and Juice and Jax slid swiftly around the back. Happy, happy to take the side alone, moved solemnly away and Tig nodded to Chibs. Chibs lowered his voice as he whispered, "The first one you come to, he's mine."

Tig didn't need to know anything else. He nodded and sent a quick message to the others. On a silent count, they each made their way into the house, their guns raised as they flooded the room.

"Down on the goddamn floor," Chibs snarled as he grabbed his man by the back of his hair and held him tightly in his hand. The other guards started for their weapons but Happy was too fast, flattening one of them and disarming him in less than a second as he violently snapped the guy's arm in half. The crunch made the others freeze up, and Tig shrugged as he unlocked the safety.

"You heard him, on the floor," he growled, the unsettling look in his eyes making the two remaining guards both put their guns on the table in an instant and drop down to their knees. Chibs laughed as he looked at them, they looked so pathetic now, unarmed, without their uniforms. They were just like ordinary men now. Chibs looked at them each in turn before he focused his attentions on the man he held onto. The overwhelming urge to break his neck was all-consuming, but he didn't want it to be so easy.

"You guys like doing things together, huh?" He forced him down onto his knees with a hard kick of his boot to the back of the kneecaps, and the guard spluttered as he fell. "Big fucking faggots, are you?" He shook his head as he snatched up a knife from the kitchen block and led it to the man's throat as he looked to Happy and Juice. "Tie this bastard up."

He hurled the man towards Happy, who caught him with ease and grabbed a curtain tie from the wall. He slammed the man down into a seat and, taking his bandana from his pocket, tied it around his mouth to hush him. Jax moved quietly around, he recognised two of the other guards from their time in Stockton and was doing everything he could to keep his temper in check. Juice fished out some electrical tape and tossed it towards him.

"Hush them up," he muttered. Chibs watched proudly as his men moved around these strangers, binding their mouths with tape and their wrists behind them as they sat on their knees, helpless. He crouched down in front of the guard in the chair, and smiled darkly as he looked at him, the blade glinting in his hands.

"Do you remember me?" He could see that he did. He could see the cold fear in the man's eyes as Chibs' gaze burned through him. "It's Edward, isn't it?" The guard didn't answer but managed the smallest of nods, but that wasn't satisfying enough for Chibs. He tugged the bandana away from his mouth. "Is it?"

In preference to getting an answer, the guard screamed loudly and, without a second thought, Chibs hurled his fist into the man's face, slamming into it hard. The others watched as the guard gasped, spitting blood and teeth down his own shirt as he tried to breathe, the pain searing through him in an instant. Happy smiled approvingly.

"He won't be talking again."

Chibs nodded slowly. "Aye, no he won't." There was a certain release that had flooded his body on hitting him, he could feel it ebbing through him. It was a feeling of satisfaction, knowing that that prick had been responsible for what had happened was at his mercy. "How much was she worth, huh? How much did that wetback pay you?" The guard couldn't answer, even though he tried to stammer an answer, and Chibs rolled his eyes. "What? You shy now?"

He nodded to Tig who instantly shot one of the guards dead in an instant. Edward spluttered awkwardly, blood still dribbling from his lips as he tried to answer. Both of the other guards were staring at him desperately, wishing him to just answer to spare their lives.

"Two grand? Three?" When he still couldn't answer, Chibs reached across and violently tore the tape from Happy's victim's mouth. The guy sobbed.

"Five hundred," he whimpered. "He gave him five hundred."

Nobody would have been able to stop Chibs as he launched across the room and knocked Edward back, the chair slamming to the floor and shattering into pieces with Chibs' furious attack. Chibs was like an animal as he tore at the man's face with his bare hands, clawing at him in such a rage that it was impossible to stop him. They'd sold her like a cheap goddamn whore, for nothing. They'd put her through all of that for nothing.

"Prez, woah." It took Tig putting his arm around Chibs' waist to prise him back. Happy handed his guy off to Quinn as he went to help Tig by holding onto the guard. The guy could barely even blink, Chibs had had no shame in tearing the man's face apart with his rings and fists and nails. He was hardly recognisable as Happy slammed him up against the wall. He glanced back to see Tig trying to soothe Chibs' fury, stroking his back softly. "It's okay."

"No, it's not. It's not okay."

Chibs pulled away from him and, picking up the knife again, he stabbed it brutally into the guy's stomach. Happy could see the colour draining from the man's face as he gasped, choking on his own blood as Chibs dragged the blade slowly, jaggedly across his stomach. The cut was deep, the dark red blood started spilling out onto Chibs' clothes but he didn't care, he wanted to see that pain in the man's face. He twisted the knife now, burying it deeper into him, and even Jax glanced away, unable to stomach the sight of the man's intestines falling forward.

"You, Eddie…" He shook his head as he yanked the knife out and motioned for Happy to let him go. Happy did, and the guard crumpled to the floor. Chibs stood over him and watched as he looked desperately to the other two guards. He laughed a little as he picked up one of the guns from the table. "What, you like it when they watch? You've always liked an audience."

He took one sharp shot at one of the guards, the bullet wedging itself cleanly between his eyes. Quinn stepped back as the body collapsed down onto the ground and looked expectantly at Chibs, waiting for the next order.

Edward desperately reached for Chibs, his hand wrapping around his ankle as he looked up beseechingly. "Please," he managed to choke through his broken mouth. "I'm sorry."

"You'll be sorry when I find your wife and put her through the same goddamn thing," Chibs growled, crushing the man's hand beneath his heel and yanking off his wedding ring, turning it around in his palm. "This worth more than you sold her for? Huh?" Edward couldn't answer, and Chibs flicked the ring towards Tig to pocket. "It's okay, I'll make sure she gets an audience too. And then I'll kill her too. Throw her in a fucking ditch, and it'll all be on you. She'll be a dirty, rotten whore, and it'll be on you."

Saying the words out loud made Chibs feel sick. It was exactly how he felt about Nina. Everything she had been through, it was on him, it was his fault. Outraged at the thought, he unloaded the remains of the clip into Edward's face and chest, enjoying the blood as it splattered over him. The dark cloud over Chibs' head was suddenly monumentally darker, and the members of the club exchanged looks with each other as they realised it was time to go. With a swift shot, Jax finished off the final guard before he moved to Chibs' side, putting his hand on his back.

"We should go," he said softly. "It's done, brother."

It didn't feel done. Chibs didn't feel the satisfaction he wanted to. He looked around at the bloody mess of the kitchen and put his hand on his mouth, inadvertently streaking blood across his cheek. "I'm not finished."

"There's nothing left to do here," Tig assured him. "You should go home, Chibs. Take a shower, go and kiss the girls goodnight."

It took a moment for Chibs to nod. "Aye." He screwed his eyes closed for a moment before nodding slowly and looking away from the body on the floor. "We should clean this up."

"Go," Happy assured him. "We can do it. Go, you need to be with your family."


	26. Chapter 26

Chibs rolled his neck from side to side as he watched the red water washing away down the drain in the shower. He was tired, tired of the blood, tired of the violence. Tired of seeing innocent people hurt. For years, it had never bothered him, even when he had had Kerrianne it had just been a way of life. Maybe it was because Fiona had always been suitably out of his life, they had never had the opportunity to be as involved as he had wanted them to be. Probably for the better, he reminded himself.

Nina, though, she was a different matter entirely. Natasha, too, two women so full of sweetness and love and both subject to the curse of SAMCRO. It didn't seem fair, not at all. They weren't meant to deal with this, they weren't supposed to have any of this fall on them. He slumped forward, his head against the tile as the water ran down his back. What was he doing? It was all on him. She would never have been involved with Galen if it wasn't for him, if he has just taken care of her in the first place like he should have done. All of those hesitations, all of the doubts he had ever had, they seemed so shallow now. So out of place and unwelcome.

He thumped his hand against the wall as he allowed himself an anxious sob. He had let this happen to her, all of it. Tig, Jax, the damn brothel in Nevada. He felt himself dry heave as he thought on how she had been so sweet to him, and now, only now when she had to give up on her sense of self to be a front for the Irish, now she had become so cold and businesslike and had given herself so readily over to Tig, now he wanted to protect her. He laughed at himself through his tears, he was sick.

He heard the smallest knock on the bathroom door and his hand slammed against the tap to silence the shower as Natasha murmured,

"Da? Are you okay?"

He grabbed his towel and ran it over his face quickly before wrapping it around his waist. Cracking the door open, he saw Natasha standing there, the raggedy little bunny in her hand as she gazed up at him in her little green pyjamas. Chibs choked back a whimper as he looked at her, so innocent and good.

"I'm fine, love," he said softly. "Just... just needed a shower. Long day."

Natasha nodded and reached up to his face, stroking something away. She showed him her finger, it was marked with a spot of blood he had missed. "You missed a bit," she smiled, trying to be helpful but only succeeding in making Chibs shiver. He rubbed his face, trying to get rid of any further trace.

"You should go back to bed," he insisted, walking her back towards her room. Emily was stretched out on the bed, legs akimbo, and Chibs smiled at the sight of her. "Here, why don't you sleep in my bed tonight? Uncle Bobby's in the living room, anything you need, he's there."

Tash nodded and stood up on her tiptoes to press a kiss onto his cheek. "Are you going to see Ma?" Before he could answer she proffered the rabbit to him. "Maybe you could take Bunny to look after her until she feels a bit better?"

Chibs gave her a smile and nodded. "Aye, that's a lovely idea," he said, taking it in his hand. "You go to sleep now, love. I'll be home in a while, I'll come and join you, hey?"

She beamed and skipped into his room to climb into bed. Chibs placed the rabbit on the dresser while he changed and collected it as he headed to Saint Thomas. He had been in two minds about going but Natasha's suggestion made him sure of what he should be doing. He wanted to see his old lady, desperately.

"Is she asleep?" he asked one of the Irish guards sitting outside the room. The man glanced towards the receptionist who had all but given up on trying to stop the leather-clad visitors swinging through the hospital.

"You can go in," he muttered. "But you leave when she asks you."

Chibs nodded and knocked before pushing the door open. Nina was lying on the bed, twisted a little to ease the pain in her abdomen, and she was idly flicking through the channels on the television set. She looked at him for a moment before ducking her eyes and squirming to try and sit up.

"Don't," Chibs said, gesturing for her to stop. "Just stay however you're comfortable."

She didn't answer but kept her eyes averted as she waited for him to move. Chibs took the tired-looking stuffed toy and rested it on the table in front of her before pulling up the seat. He watched as Nina smiled at the thing and closed her eyes.

"From the girls," he whispered, by way of explanation. She nodded. "I, uh, got your message. From Hap. We sorted it."

She nodded again. "Thank you. I appreciate that." Her lips barely moved as she spoke, Chibs could see her holding onto every little bit of control that she could. He reached for her hand but she drew it away, still not looking at him.

"Nina." He swallowed and pulled his chair closer. "Nina, you don't have to be scared. I know what they did to you, I know-"

"Nobody did anything," she said flatly. "And I'm not scared."

Chibs sighed. "You won't even look at me, don't tell me you're not."

"I'm fine." Her eyes settled on his now, and Chibs almost wished they hadn't. Her gaze was cold, almost robotic as she stared at him. Nina, his Nina, was nowhere to be seen in the icy expression on her face. Chibs could feel his lower lip shaking, he hated this. Reaching for her, wanting to try and connect with her in some way, he swallowed.

"Jesus, Nina, please. I know what happened, I was there. You don't have to lie to me."

"Nothing. Happened." She was rigid in her answer. "This isn't about you."

Chibs shook his head. "No, it's not, it's about you, about what they did to you. Please, you can't pretend this is normal. What happened was-"

"How's your friend? The Sheriff?" Chibs was sure she would kill him with this line of questioning. He pulled at his lower lip.

"I haven't seen her."

Nina nodded slowly, he could tell it was painful for her to do as she adjusted herself in her seat on the bed. "You should see her. Go, take her out." She wrinkled her nose a little. "Fuck her."

Chibs looked at her blankly. "I'm not going to do that," he said. "I want nothing to do with Jarry."

Something in Nina's gaze suddenly darkened. "No. You'll do as I say," she said firmly. "I need her to trust you, I need her at your break and goddamn call, Filip. You go and you make her feel like the most precious thing in the world, give her everything she wants. Everything she put me in that shithole for, you need to deliver it."

Chibs could barely believe what she was saying. He put his hand through his hair, confused by her stalwart demand. "Nina, I don't want her."

"But she wants you." To Nina, it seemed so simple.

"I want you," Chibs pleaded. "I know I've fucked it up, too many times to even count any more but Christ, Nina, please. It's you, it's always been you."

She looked at him for a moment, and Chibs was sure he could see the girl he loved somewhere in her expression. "Then get up, go to her place and fuck her. For me," she added, with a twisted sort of smile. "If you love me, Filip, if you've ever loved me, you earn her trust. You make her malleable for when I need it."

The words made him nervous, and Chibs pulled a face. Nina clearly had a plan and Chibs was simply a piece of it. Whatever she intentioned for Jarry, Althea probably deserved but it still made Chibs fearful. "What is it you want?" he asked quietly. Nina shrugged and winced at the pain in her arm.

"I want to give her everything she gave me," she murmured quietly. "And then some."


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N - Ooh, I love a little vengeance on #TellerTuesday! It's SOA night, so here's a deliciously horrible chapter to treat you all! I think there have been some problems with review posting, so let me know if you're having any issues and I can report it to The Powers That Be. Otherwise, just enjoy...**

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><p>Chibs slammed Jarry's head down into the pillow much harder than usual as he bucked his hips furiously into her. Holding her down, making sure he couldn't see her face as he came was the only way he could do it. He didn't want to look at her, he didn't want to see her staring back at him. He didn't want kisses or affection or any sort of embrace. Every hook up was about doing it because he had to, because Nina wanted him to. And even though every night with Althea made him sick, he did it anyway, because that was what Nina needed.<p>

He slapped her thigh abruptly and shoved her forward, pulling out as he felt the ache in his balls. Closing his eyes, he groaned as he felt himself draining, hot and wet on Althea's back. She purred, thinking that his sudden roughness over the past few weeks had been because of some cops-and-robbers fantasy of his, and crawled forward, her body sore from his embrace. She glanced back to see Chibs sitting back on his knees, one hand on his eyes as he tried to pull his head back to the right place.

"That felt good," she ventured. He didn't answer, he never answered any more. He'd simply wait until she got in the shower and then he would dress, sit, smoke and leave. Tonight was no different, he didn't respond and Althea sighed. Crawling into the spot beside him, she reached for his cheek. Chibs, begrudgingly, let her touch him, knowing she needed that connection with him. Build the trust, that was Nina's instruction. That was all this was.

When she didn't speak, he ventured a look at her and Althea gave him a hopeful smile. Chibs didn't return it and she huffed a little.

"I heard your ex is out of Saint Thomas," she murmured, fishing a joint from the bedside table. "That must be a relief."

Chibs chuckled. "Aye. I'm sure Tig's happy to have her home." It had been a couple of days, Tig had dipped out of all club business to take care of Nina, even though the Irish had insisted they didn't need him. After Galen's fleeting and disturbing visit to chide the entirety of his brigade for leaving Nina at risk, nobody dared leave her alone.

"And her girls?"

Chibs felt cold at the question and looked at Jarry suspiciously. "_Our_ girls," he said icily. "Our girls are happy to see her." It was almost impossible to keep the impartiality that Nina demanded from him, Jarry had this way of rubbing him the wrong way with every single word. He got it now, in her demented head she was being nice, trying to engage with him about his personal life. She was oblivious to what was to come, to her, for her. That was Chibs' load to bear.

Seeing she wasn't going to get much more from him, Althea sighed and pushed a kiss onto his cheek as she got up and headed into the bathroom. Chibs leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, and finished the joint she had started with a dark sort of expression. His phone buzzed and he reached for it, flicking it open to read a single message.

_Bring her to mine._

If had been feeling cold before, the chill that ran through him now was unbearable. He glanced towards the bathroom for a moment before he started to dress himself again. There was no reticence in his movements, just a resigned knowledge of what was to happen, what needed to happen. He pulled on his pants and rebuckled his belt slowly as he saw Jarry look out at him.

"Everything okay?" she asked, surprised to see him almost ready already. Chibs smiled a little and stepped over, caressing her cheek roughly.

"Nearly," he said, his thumb squeezing her. "Get dressed. We need to go."

Althea raised an eyebrow as she ruffled her towel through her long, dark hair. "Go? But I was just getting comfortable." She smiled shyly. "I kind of hoped you might stay here tonight."

Chibs nodded slowly. "Aye, I will, when we get back." He tossed her her underwear from the floor. "Don't worry about that, hey?"

He watched as she pulled on her panties, never taking her eyes away from him. "Where are we going?" she asked. Chibs smirked a little.

"Why, don't you trust me?" Althea blushed and he chuckled as he pushed her hands away and slowly, gently did the buttons of her shirt up, his hands skimming over her skin the way she wanted them to. "Just need to go and check on Tash, that's all." He looked her straight in the eye as he smiled and murmured, "Don't worry, Ally. I'll take care of you."

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><p>Nina's house looked deserted as Chibs pulled his bike to a stop out front. Jarry let go of him, the way she had been holding onto his torso on the ride had made Chibs sure that she didn't suspect a thing. The way she had cuddled close to him was far too affectionate, it had made Chibs all the more certain this was what needed to happen.<p>

"It's dark," she mused, looking around in surprise. "You left your daughter here?"

"Babysitter," Chibs muttered casually, shrugging it away like it was no big deal. "Club, we take care of our own, you know?"

Jarry followed behind him as he tried the door to find it open. Chibs pressed his lips together as Althea sank her fingers into the back of his pants, holding onto his belt nervously. "Are you armed?" she whispered softly. Chibs chuckled.

"I don't need to be, this is home," he said. "Are you?"

"Just one."

He smiled as he held out his hand behind him. "If you're worried, let me have it. Just in case." When Althea hesitated, he laughed. "I said I'd take care of you, didn't I?"

It didn't take more persuasion than that. Althea tugged her gun from her belt and pressed it into Chibs' palm in the darkness. He smiled as his fingers wrapped around it, knowing she was completely unarmed now, and he pulled her close in the darkness for a moment, pressing a kiss on her forehead.

"Yes, you did."

The sudden, unexpected voice made Jarry jump. The light flicked on and she turned as the room flooded with an overpowering, fluorescent glow. Nina was standing in the doorway, leaning casually against the frame, her arms crossed. Chibs smiled at her and nodded, pleased to have fulfilled his promise to her. Jarry twisted, turning to stare at Chibs as she tried to understand what was happening.

"Filip-"

"Shut up." Nina didn't wait, she immediately swung her fist into Jarry's face, her knuckles crunching as they smacked into her jaw. Althea whimpered, not expecting the blow at all, but she tried to get her hands up quickly. Nina wasn't taking that, however. She wound her fingers in Jarry's hair and hurled her towards the wall with a brute strength that surprised the sheriff.

"Please," she stammered awkwardly, unable to hide the fear in her expression. "Nina, please, I never meant for anything to happen to you."

Nina laughed. Her body was aching, it still did with every little movement, no matter how small, but in that moment it didn't matter. This was what it was all about. She wrapped her fingers around Althea's throat as she pressed her back against the wall, eager to see the panic in her eyes.

"You put me in a male prison," she growled hatefully, almost spitting as she said it. Jarry looked beseechingly to Chibs and watched as he leisurely helped himself to a beer and knocked the cap off on the edge of the counter like he usually did.

"I didn't mean for any of this," Jarry pleaded. "You don't understand. Those men, they're like hungry dogs."

Nina smiled at that as she kicked the door to her bedroom over and dragged Jarry in by her hair. "It's okay, I've got a couple of hungry dogs of my own."

Hurling her forward, Jarry looked up in fear to see both Happy and Tig waiting on either side of the bed. Nina's lips curled into a dark, satisfied smile as she looked between the two men. As Jarry attempted to scarper, Happy grabbed her and, without a moment of hesitation, broke her arm cleanly. Jarry shrieked, tears rolling down her face as she realised what she had been led to. She looked for Chibs but he had taken a seat in the kitchen with his beer, his feet up on the table, ignoring the rough justice his comrades were administering.

"Don't look for him," Nina growled, kicking the door shut quickly. She wouldn't put Chibs through that, not again, it wasn't fair. Tig smiled as he looked at her and handed her a bottle of beer, pressing a kiss on her lips protectively. Nina smiled as he ushered her to sit in the armchair, encouraging her to relax.

"What are you going to do?" Jarry managed to choke. "This wasn't my fault, I didn't do this."

Nina laughed, leaning forward on her knees, still looking remarkably innocent as she leaned on her elbows and took a swig of her beer. "You did all of this," she murmured darkly. "And you're going to get it all back, too."

Tig gave her a nod and caressed her chin for a moment before drawing to his full height and motioning for Happy to hold Jarry tight. Sure she was secure in his grip, Tig swung at her in total rage, his fists striking her body with the speed and efficiency of a fully-trained boxer. Jarry spluttered and tried to call out and Tig, in a twisted moment of glee, grabbed her jaw and yanked it down so hard that it broke in that single move, hanging loosely from where it should be. Jarry moaned, an animalistic, guttural sound and Nina just sat back, watching, her lips working over the end of the beer bottle. None of this even bothered her, not any more. She was happy to just watch. Knowing that Tig would do his part before Happy fulfilled the more explicit end of the bargain, Nina could feel a twisted sense of relief overcoming her.

Jarry fell to the floor, crumbling as Tig delivered blow after blow to her body and limbs. Tig grinned as he crunched her kneecaps beneath his boots, she wouldn't be getting up any time soon. Nina could see Jarry's helplessness and she called out coolly.

"Hap, do your thing, sweetheart. Enjoy her. Make her cum, for the last time."

Happy smiled as he yanked Althea up and tossed her down to the bed. Tig patted his back, he had no interest in the next part other than knowing his brother would get his dick wet. He perched on the side of Nina's seat, leaning his head against her lovingly as he cuddled close to her.

"You feel better, baby?" he asked, his lips caressing her earlobe softly. Nina nodded, for some reason seeing Althea Jarry completely helpless as Happy undressed her made her feel a million times better. She smiled, leaning into Tig as she nodded.

"Let him have his fun," she said softly, disinterested in watching the literal ins and outs. "Then we can finish her tonight, put her out of her misery."


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N - Just a really quick note to say thank you to all of you for everything so far. I can't believe I've had over 10,000 views and 100 reviews, it's just crazy. I'm so glad to have your support... And I can't wait to see how this chapter makes you react!**

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><p>Nina, Tig and Chibs were all sitting quietly at the kitchen table when Happy finally slunk out of the bedroom. He simply had his pants on, his strong, tattooed body stalking through the room as he reached for a beer. His bottle clinked against Tig's as he lifted it up, and he massaged his hand along the back of Nina's neck as he dragged up the last seat and straddled it.<p>

"You're done?"

Nina sounded surprised but Tig chuckled, Happy always too way too long to get his fill. Chibs rested his hand on Nina's on the table and nodded slowly.

"Aye, it's all done." He glanced towards the door to the bedroom, part of him wanted to go and check on Althea but the rest of him was just glad it was all, finally, over. Happy drained his beer quickly and went for another, he was tired but glad to have been offered the chance to make things right. Nina nodded for a moment and stood, waiting for them to finish their drinks in silence.

"You okay, love?" Chibs asked, standing and crossing to her. Happy stilled Tig, seeing he was about to get up, and motioned towards them to let them have their moment. Nina nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I just..." She looked around the house, this place needed clearing. It was riddled with evidence and now it just needed to go. "You guys should leave. Please. I have some things to finish." Her eyes were focused obsessively on the door to the bedroom and Chibs felt himself swallow as he realised what she meant.

"She's a cop, Nina," he said. "This shite, it'll blow back if you do it."

Nina nodded, slow at first but then more committed. "I understand that," she said. "But I know what I have to do, I'm sorry." Her hand ran against his cheek and Chibs clutched it to him, closing his eyes as he did. "You can't fix everything."

Tig's lip shook in a slow snarl as he watched them. He pulled a face and clicked his fingers at them, breaking Chibs out of his dreamy moment. "You'll come back to the club? Tonight?"

Nina stepped away from Chibs, giving herself space. Whenever she was close to him she could feel her better judgement slipping away. "Yes, tonight," she nodded. "I won't be long here, just an hour or so. You can wait, if you want, but down on the main road, away from the house. I need to do this on my own," she added with a resolute look to Chibs. He nodded slowly and waved his hand, motioning for the others to stand.

"Do what you've got to do, Nina," he said. He waited silently as she hugged both of the others, Tig pushing a hungry kiss onto her lips as she parted from him, and Chibs watched as they moved outside before taking Nina's hands in his own. "Whatever happens now," he murmured softly, "I hope it means we can start again."

He leaned into her and pressed a gentle kiss onto her cheek, closing his eyes as he allowed himself to soak up her intoxicating, innocent smell for just a moment. Nina smiled as she held onto his hand and squeezed him gently.

"Maybe."

She ushered him out and closed the door behind him. Leaning her back against it, she sighed as she picked up the gun on the table and weighed it in her hand for a moment before carrying it through with her to the room.

Jarry lay in a crumpled heap on the bed, whimpering and sobbing with whatever energy she had left in her. One of her eyes was black and swollen shut, Nina remembered how painful that was all too well. The worst of it was not knowing, not fully knowing what was going on. She raised her voice to fill the room.

"It's just me, now. They've all gone."

Jarry couldn't answer but she twisted to see Nina as the woman paced over to look at her. She flinched, waiting for Nina to hit her but Nina didn't. She ran her hand gently over Jarry's sore, swollen limbs and sighed.

"It's all shit, isn't it?" She laughed sadly. "We should have helped each other, in this world. Seems right. Men, brothers, gangland. All so masculine. We could actually have worked together."

Jarry tensed as Nina wound her arm around her and picked her up, carrying her through to the bathroom. She rested Jarry down on the edge of the bath, holding her up as she ran the hot water. She could feel Althea's eyes on her, uncertain, and Nina smiled sadly.

"I try to be a good person, I do," she said softly as she dashed her hand beneath the water and poured some scented oil into the base of the bath. "I'm not like them. A terrorist." She laughed at the word. "I'm just a girl who fell for the wrong man at the wrong time."

She helped Althea into the water and poured a cupful over her head. Unable to speak, unable to move, Jarry could only sit there, frozen to the spot as Nina helped wash away the blood and the dirt and the spit from her skin. The sweat and the semen all melted away as Nina ran her hands over the woman, rubbing away all remnants of the men who had been with her, making the evidence dissolve away in the water.

"I don't know what happens now," Nina murmured absently as she continued with the process. "With Chibs, or Tig. I love them both, I always have. It's just always been a bit complicated." She laughed at herself. "Complicated. I guess it's very simple, really. Right when I think I've got one of them right, the other throws me for a spin."

Jarry's fingers desperately wrapped around Nina's, trying to connect with her. Nina smiled, she knew what she was doing. She was hoping for forgiveness, she was trying to ask for help, but Nina simply ignored it and kept talking.

"Part of me thinks the girls and I should just leave." She chuckled at herself. "Selfish, right? Throw them all out and just get on with my own thing?" She rubbed on a spot of Jarry's skin, seeing the dried blood on a gash from one of Tig's vicious blows. "God, it must come with the territory. Being heartless like that. Guess that's what happened to Jax, too. Top of the tree, gives you a change in perspective."

Jarry tried to mumble a response but her broken jaw restricted her and she tripped over her tongue awkwardly. Nina hushed her, stroking her hair.

"Don't worry, now, you just be nice and quiet for me." She squeezed out the cloth and rubbed it over Jarry's back gently, taking care of her like she was a little girl. "I was unconscious when they cleaned me up. Pain, embarrassment, loss of blood. Probably all of them." She wrung out the cloth again and watched as the water turned red. "But that first shower, when I could do it by myself. It was like heaven. Like it was all washed away. Like all my problems were gone."

She helped Jarry stand, her arm around her waist as she took the Sheriff's weight on her to move her. Nina sighed as she saw Jarry shivering, her body shaking and tears forming in her eyes as she put a towel around her carefully.

"Hush now," Nina murmured encouragingly, massaging her shoulder as she sat her on the bed. She ruffled the towel over Althea sweetly, making sure she was dried properly. "I'm sorry he was so rough with you," she added, seeing Jarry wince as she moved her arm. "Tig, he gets really angry, he hated me being hurt. When it isn't him, I guess. Funny how things change, isn't it?" Jarry didn't speak and Nina's eyes narrowed a little. "And things do change, Sheriff."

There it was. Jarry screwed her eyes closed and took a deep breath in as Nina let her go. Her exhausted body collapsed back on the bed, weak and unable to support itself. Nina paced for a moment as she looked at her.

"You should have just picked a different Son." Nina's words were soft but eery. "None of this would have happened if you hadn't touched Filip. Me and him, we..." She swallowed as she realised why her heart was beating in triple time. "Filip Telford, he's mine, he's always been mine. Since that first time. Before Tig... and Emily..." She pinched her nose, suddenly making herself anxious with her confession. "Things, they got fucked up. I know he got mad, but I love him. We could have been okay, too. If you hadn't showed up. With your... poison. And your games."

Her eyes narrowed, she was overcome with anger as she said it. Jarry was shaking her head, fearful, trying to scrabble up the bed away from Nina as Nina reached for the gun from the dressing table.

"We're nearly even now," she murmured, holding the revolver up in her hand. "The IRA, they taught me something. Not to let anyone ever have your secrets to hold against you." She laughed. "When I came in here, I was going to clean you up and let you go. But then you made me talk to you." She wiped Jarry's tears away from her cheeks. "Don't cry. This is you, you brought this on yourself, Althea, because you were so desperate to get me out of the way. You've just turned it around on yourself, inadvertently."

Nina stood over Jarry for a moment and reached for a pillow. However much she hated the woman lying there, she didn't want to look at her when she finally killed her. Jarry had nothing within her to fight back as Nina pressed the pillow down over her face and pushed the barrel of the gun into it. Jarry scrabbled for just a moment before Nina closed her eyes and pulled the trigger before the squirming body beneath her fell still.

"Done." She leaned back on her heels, watching the red blood seeping through the sheets. Nina screwed her eyes closed for a moment, gathering herself. She had never wanted to be like this, she remembered how she had hated the way of life her father had chosen but now she was no better. She got up, not bothering to lift the pillow to see Jarry's face.

Nina straightened her clothes out as she stalked through the house. This place, it was done. She had to let it go, let go of the role she was fulfilling for the Irish. Digging through the cupboards, she pulled out a can of gasoline and sighed. Was this what it had come to? Burning down a goddamn building to cover for herself and the club?

"Whatever it takes," she reminded herself. This was for the girls, to keep them safe. Taking the can, she started to pace around the house, splashing gas around. This house, this place, it had never been home. Natasha and Emily had spent most of their nights at Tig's, Nina had spent more than enough evenings on his couch instead of here. This whole place could just go up in flames.

She tossed the remains of the can into the house as she took a few steps away. She looked at it with no regret, and fumbled in her pocket for a packet of matches. Her hands were almost shaking as she tried to strike one, but suddenly Chibs had his hand wrapped around hers.

"Don't, not like that," he murmured, leaning over her protectively. "It'll catch, let me do it. I don't want you getting hurt."

Nina swallowed as he said it, all of her confession from inside the house burning her chest. The earnest look in Chibs' eyes made her resolve melt and she leaned into him, just holding on to him for a moment as she closed her eyes, needing the comfort of his grip on her. She felt her eyes welling up and Chibs pushed a kiss on her forehead.

"Hey, darling, why are you crying?" he said softly, cuddling her to him. "I'm here, love, you know I am."

"We should finish," she whispered, fearful of standing there a moment longer with him. Chibs nodded, sensing her reticence, and he struck the match, flicking it furiously across as he tugged her to follow him and run. They both raced away from the house as the match caught instantly and the flames began to lick, the gasoline lighting and roaring around the house in an all-consuming rage. The wave of heat knocked them both off their feet and Chibs tugged Nina down on top of him as they tripped and fell down into the dirt at the foot of his bike.

"Shite, are you okay?"

He leaned up as he saw the dirt streaked on her face and chucked, pushing her hair back out of her eyes. Nina wet her lips shyly as he looked at her and nodded. "Yeah, I think I am now."

She pushed a kiss onto his mouth, just something innocent and fearful, full of all of the sweetness he thought had gone. Chibs was surprised but cupped her face gently, leading her mouth encouragingly to his own, being ever so careful and doing everything not to scare her away. He gently urged her lips open with his tongue and whimpered softly as he tasted her, he had missed her so much and this embrace felt so perfect that he didn't want it to ever, ever end.

"Let me take you home," Chibs whispered, nuzzling her, fearful of overpowering her. "You've had quite a day, you should see the girls." He swallowed and looked at the blazing building back up the track. "Rest."

He helped her up and led her gingerly towards his bike. Clipping the extra helmet onto her carefully, he smiled as he felt Nina's arms wind around his waist, just where they always belonged. He closed his eyes for a moment and smiled, knowing she couldn't see, before starting the bike and setting off to take her back to the clubhouse.


	29. Chapter 29

Chibs knocked the door open just a crack and peeked in to see Nina draped along the edge of the bed, watching over her two sleeping daughters. He gazed at her quietly for a little while, leaning against the doorframe when she didn't respond, his eyes swimming over the wave of her body along the bed. He needed to drink her in, he hadn't realised how much he needed the sight of her.

When he heard her sigh, ever so softly, he padded in and sat down on the corner of the bed, lifting her feet to rest them in his lap. Nina looked at him and smiled.

"Hey." Her voice was the tiniest whisper, not wanting to disturb the girls. "Sorry, I got distracted."

"That's okay," Chibs murmured, lifting one of her ankles and kissing her toes playfully. "They're all drunk in the bar anyway, you're better off in here. Safe." He ran his hand along her calf and shin. "And I want you safe, Nina."

She nodded slowly. "I've been thinking I want the same," she replied quietly. "This life, it's no way to bring up the kids." Chibs moved his mouth to object and she waved her hand. "Not the club, Filip. The IRA. That risk, of them being associated, it's not fair."

She sat up, swinging her legs down to the floor and edged up the mattress towards him. Chibs opened his arm to her and crushed her into it, cuddling her tight as he leaned his own head on hers.

"What are you saying, love?" he frowned, unsure. He wanted her to leave, he was desperate for it, but it would have to be her decision. Nina's mind was already made up.

"I'll call Galen," she said strongly. "I've had enough, being pushed around like this. Like my opinions don't matter." She shook her head. "I'm going to step down, whatever it takes."

Chibs smiled at her proudly and have her a squeeze. "You know I'll do anything I can to help, Nina," he said supportively. "Galen won't like it but you've got kids, vulnerabilities. Plus he must know that what happened to you at Stockton would never have happened to a man." Nina's face went pale and he swallowed. "Christ, I didn't mean-"

"No, you're right," she nodded slowly. "We learn from our mistakes, right?"

Chibs had his thumb on her chin and his index finger on her lips as she said it, leading her to a gentle kiss. Nina closed her eyes and sighed as she fell into him, tasting him softly as their tongues brushed against each other.

"Aye. We learn." He smiled at her hopefully. "And we move on?"

She nodded, certain. "Yeah, we do." She stood up and started across the room, searching for her phone in her pockets. "I'll talk to him, he'll probably be here by tomorrow. You might want to warn the club," she added. Chibs nodded.

"Will do, love," he said, following her out. "We'll deal with it. What's the worst he could want for you?"

* * *

><p>Sure as sure could be, Galen was on an overnight flight. Nina could feel her very lungs shivering nervously as she smoothed out her skirt, trying to look as pristine as Galen liked her to be. Tig pursed his lips as he watched her, wondering idly if she might move back in with him now her house had been incinerated to the ground. She looked up timidly and he smiled, trying to calm her with just his eyes. She gave him a half-smile back, cautious, and glanced over at Chibs and Bobby as they stood in a quiet discussion with Happy. Tig pushed his hands in his pockets and rocked on his heels for a moment before crossing to her.<p>

"You don't have to look so scared," he said. "You've got the best of the club here to take care of you, you know that."

She nodded, knowing full well that Chibs had brought them all as a show of prowess for Galen. It was nothing but a muscle-off, but at least she was sure of Chibs' intention to protect her. "I know, he just makes me worry, you know?" She blushed, Tig would never understand the threats Galen had held over her head over the years.

"You don't need to worry." Tig's smile was meant to ease her but it just made her whimper very softly to herself. She looked down and Tig stepped closer, slipping his arm around her waist with his usual overfamiliarity. He leaned into her, nuzzling her ear slightly. "I got your back."

Nina nodded, easing herself back from him and Tig sighed as he let go of her. Ever since Stockton, she had been terrified of getting too close to anyone, any physical interaction more than a hug made her pull away. He pushed out his lower lip, everything between them seemed like a distant memory now, like a dream or some fantasy that he barely believed had happened.

Chibs broke away from the others as Galen's car pulled to a stop outside the warehouse. Nina swallowed, holding herself tightly as she strode forward with faux confidence as she approached the car and Galen stepped out. He beamed proudly as he looked over her, kissing her cheek tenderly as he held her in a grip that made Chibs growl under his breath.

"Must be important, if you needed me here so badly," Galen said as he shook Chibs' hand. "And you brought so much back-up."

"It's not back-up," Nina said, keeping herself together as well as she could. "It's support." Galen chuckled at that.

"Support? You got a confession for me, Nina?" He looked over her for a moment. "How are you now? Better?"

"I settled my score," she said softly, just a tinge of regret in her tone. "Guards are dealt with, things are in motion for the men inside."

Galen sneered at Chibs. "And the cop?"

"Done." Nina was abrupt as she said it. "All of it, it's done now, Galen." She looked at him beseechingly as she reached for his hand. "I tried, I really did. But I'm not cut out for this. I just, I want to look after my girls. Be a Mom."

Galen wrinkled his nose. There had been a reason to pull Nina away from Charming, he hadn't realised it would take so long to fall into place but at least it was finally moving. "Aye? And what are you going to do, Nina? Just leave me with nobody in your place?"

She looked around anxiously. "I will train whoever you need, Galen. You know I know the job, I'm just... After Stockton? I can't do it. I'm sorry, I want to, but I can't go through that again."

In an instant, Galen pulled out his gun and aimed it at her. Chibs barked roughly, drawing as did Happy. "Hey, hey, hey now," he snapped furiously. "No need for that."

Galen chuckled. "You expect me just to leave Irish secrets rattling around in that pretty little brain, Telford? You know how it works." He shook his head. "She's either with us or against us."

Nina turned red as she raised her hands. "Galen, I would never-"

"Aye, and you won't." Galen looked around at Chibs expectantly. "I'll need one of you in Ireland, to take her place."

Chibs opened his mouth but didn't manage to make a sound as he played through Galen's demand. Nina shook her head, trying to step forward but Galen simply unlocked his safety in warning to still her. Bobby rested one hand on Chibs' shoulder.

"Guns down, please," he said encouragingly. "Let's discuss this like men, we're not bandits."

Galen's nostrils flared and he waited for Chibs to lower his weapon first before he did. Chibs, hesitant, did as asked and looked at those assembled to do the same before Galen returned the favour. Tig watched as Nina visibly relaxed a little, he could see the fear in her eyes, the uncertainty scaring her.

"What good is a member of SAMCRO going to do for the IRA?" Chibs challenged gruffly, chuckling darkly. Galen shrugged.

"Keep trade even, sort out the mess you got yourselves in. No brother wants to shoot another," he added threateningly. Chibs paled a little, he hated the way Galen threatened them.

"You don't talk about my club," he insisted roughly. "Don't you dare, Galen."

"Your choice," Galen smiled. "I need someone to do the job, now either she comes with me or-"

"I will."

Chibs turned around to see Tig standing there, his hand raised. His eyes were fixed on Nina, his gaze unfaltering. She looked terrified at the thought of going back to Ireland, filling that position again. To Tig, there was no choice, he would never let her go. He stepped forward, nodding slowly, accepting his decision as he did.

"I'll go," he offered, nodding at Chibs. "I need her safe, Prez, there's no question."

Galen smiled and nodded, lifting Nina's chin. She closed her eyes, uncomfortable at his touch, and trembled. "She's a good girl," he mused. "I know you've always liked her."

Chibs bristled at the conversation. "Tig, you can't. None of us are going, Galen, don't talk this shite."

Galen snatched at Nina, dragging her towards him and making her shriek as he pulled her tight to him. "Then she's coming back to work, simple as that."

Tig growled as he pried Nina away from Galen furiously, trying to get between them. "No, I've told you. I'll go, I'll take it. You leave her alone now, Galen, I'll take the damn job."

Galen smirked. "Didn't think of you as a suit type, Trager, but I'll fix that." He gave Nina a shove towards him, and she let out a fearful sob as Tig wrapped his arms around her. "Pack up, we'll leave in a few hours. It'll be nice to have my girls back home."

Chibs frowned as he looked at the way Nina clutched on to Tig fearfully. "Girls?"

Galen laughed out loud at that. "You didn't expect me to just leave them here, do you? Tash, Em? I learned last time she can't be away from them, she'll be miserable. They'll all be joining us." Galen patted Tig's shoulder. "Don't want you leaving your family behind."

Chibs started to charge at Galen but Happy wrestled him back quickly, knowing that that was the last thing anybody needed. Nina felt her knees weaken as Tig held onto her, her eyes darting desperately to Chibs. Christ, how was this happening? Right when she finally had a handle on things?

"Galen, please," she whispered anxiously. "I don't want to go back to Ireland."

Galen stared at her, an ugly look I'm his eyes. "Don't be so disrespectful. That man you're clutching on to just stepped up for you. He's the one that took your place. Now you come back to Belfast and you give him everything and anything he wants. That's an order, your last order. Understood?"

The tone in his voice was one that Nina had come across before and she nodded, slowly and anxiously. Galen smiled, straightening his shirt.

"Good girl," he muttered. "Now go, pack. Tell the girls to get ready to come home."


	30. Chapter 30

**Author's Note**

**I can't believe we are here already! The end of an era, so to speak. Thank you so much, each and every one of you, for every read, review, favourite, follow... everything. This story would be nothing without you.**

**So it sort of ends here. I say 'sort of' because there will be a new story, probably starting tomorrow, but it will** **be a slightly more complex one because it will sort of be Emily and Natasha's stories... but don't worry, their parents will all be very, very involved. You're going to love it. And there will be** **some new love interests within the club... Eek!**

**With that in mind, enjoy the last of Finally Found You - and I'll link you to the new story when I start!**

**Sara x**

"What the hell have you done?"

Chibs had just about managed to hold it together until they got back to the club, but the second the members were back together in chapel, he exploded. Bobby tried to still him but it was never going to happen, Chibs wanted Tig's blood.

"I'm protecting her," Tig said coolly. He had already assigned himself to his fate in Ireland, he had the second the option had come up, but Galen sending Nina with him was an unexpected bonus. "Prez, I didn't know, I was just trying to take the pressure off-"

"You've fucked up everything." Chibs only saw it one way. "You fucking planned this."

Tig snorted. "Of course I didn't. You think I want to go sell guns for the goddamn Irish?" He shook his head. "You're crazy. This club is my life, no amount of fucking leprechauns and four leaf clovers could take me from that but Nina-" He stopped himself short, he wasn't going to get into it. "This is the best thing for the club."

Chibs looked grey as he slunk back in his seat. "The best thing for this club would be Galen O'Shea, dead."

"This club runs on the IRA," Bobby corrected him, trying to keep Chibs' head in the right place. "We've had a long, long history with the Irish. It's why we live the life we do. JT worked hard to make that relationship last, Clay spent years building it. It's the one thing we do need."

Chibs shook his head, slowly resigning himself to what was soon to happen. "There's only one thing I need." He looked longingly out towards the bar and Tig sighed.

"Chibs, I didn't know." He wanted to reach for his brother's hand but knew it wouldn't be right. "I'll look after her, you know I will."

Chibs snorted, that was exactly what he was worried about. He looked down, shook his head. "It's not right."

"It's right for the club," Happy ventured gently. "We're at this table for SAMCRO, not Nina."

Juice looked down the table sympathetically towards his best friend. He could see the pain tearing up his chest and he pushed his seat back, walking over to Chibs and leaning over him to hug him. Chibs broke down in an instant and the others looked amongst themselves, unsure of what to do or say. What could they say? Nobody had expected any of this, especially not Chibs and the thought of losing Nina when he had just, just managed to find his footing with her again was killing him.

"You'll be okay, brother," Juice whispered, squeezing him tight. "Things will just... go back to how they were."

There was a light knock on the door and Jax leaned in. "Galen's here," he said, eyeing Tig, unsure of what was going on. "He's asking for you." Tig stood and Jax coloured as he shoved past him, leaning on Rat's chair. "What's happening?"

"Bullshite," Chibs growled, frustrated as he got up, pushing Juice back as he stalked out. "That's what."

He felt his knees weaken as he saw Emily, distraught and confused at the sudden influx of strangers around her as Natasha chatted away with one of the Irish escorts she was so familiar with. Natasha beamed as she spotted Chibs and slipped away from the conversation, running over to him.

"Da! Uncle Galen says we're going back to Ireland. You'll like it there, right? You used to live there too?"

Chibs swallowed as he looked over at Nina as she gathered Emily into her arms. She looked like she was struggling with everything herself, it was clear she simply hadn't got around to telling Natasha anything about their hasty departure.

"Oh, Tash." Chibs sank down to his knees beside her and took her hands. "Your old Da, he has to stay here for a little while. Do some things here at the club."

Natasha pouted as she looked back at her mother, unsure. "But Uncle Tig is coming?"

"Uncle Tig has to." Chibs hated saying it but at least there'd be a club member with his family, it gave him a little solace. Natasha pondered over it for a moment.

"Why doesn't Uncle Tig stay, and you can come?" she suggested brightly. "Then he can look after things here?"

Nina overheard the last of her words and edged over, resting her hand on Chibs' shoulder as she crouched down beside him. Emily instantly started to play with his hair, tugging at it gently and smoothing it with her fingers.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I've hardly had a chance to talk to her." Chibs closed his eyes and Nina lowered Emily to the floor. "Em, just take your sister's hand for me, go and say goodbye to Juice, hey?"

The girls slid away and Nina leaned forward instantly, wrapping her arms around Chibs as she felt his body heave as he sobbed against her. He didn't want to lose his girl, his girls, not again. It wasn't fair, that they'd be pulled away from him again. First Jimmy and Fiona, now this?

"I only just met her," he managed to choke, looking after Natasha. "And we only just got it right, Nina, finally." He cupped her face desperately in his hands. "I tried so hard, for so long, and it was all too late."

Nina leaned her forehead to his. She knew the feeling, the hopeless, helpless feeling. It was gnawing at her inside, knowing she had to go, knowing there'd be no choice for her to come back. She was being repositioned, she was Galen's reward to Tig for making the jump and she had no say in any of it.

"You know what will happen." They both did. Tig would have her, they would fall back into that same dark circle of behaviour, no matter how she felt about Chibs. "When I'm out there with him."

"Aye." Chibs stroked his thumb along the scar on her eye. "So I guess we, what, call it a day?" He sighed and chuckled to himself. "I don't want to."

Galen clicked his fingers loudly. "Nina."

Nina ignored him and held on to Chibs' hand, squeezing it and bringing it to her lips as she whispered, "I don't want to either."

"Nina." The call was louder now, more furious, and Nina yelped as she suddenly felt a rough Irish arm loop around her waist and drag her up to her feet. Tig barked, unhappy, and pushed the guard away.

"Easy," he demanded, shoving him roughly and drawing his gun without hesitation. "You treat her with respect, understood? All of you."

Galen smirked and nodded. "You heard the man. He's the boss." He motioned outside. "Now we have to go. Tash, be a good girl, say bye to your Da, hey?"

Natasha stepped forward and tiptoed over to Chibs. She wrapped her arms around him warmly, squeezing him as she showered kisses on his face. "Emmy says you'll come and see us next week," she said enthusiastically. Chibs looked at Emily who gave him a shy smile, and he nodded slowly.

"Aye, I hope so," he managed to choke. Natasha nodded and proudly produced the torn, dog-earred looking toy bunny rabbit from her bag.

"Bunny will keep you company," she said, pressing the thing into Chibs' hands. "Until I see you." He was doing everything he could not to cry as he stood up and watched her retreat to the departing Irish consort. Nina had her head down as she stood with Tig's arm possessively around her waist, unable to even venture a look at him, and Galen tugged her outside, leaving Tig for a final moment with his club.

"Guess you guys should have this," he said, starting to remove his cut. Chibs shook his head.

"Take it with you. Emily, she'll need it." He hated the thought but he knew well enough how she liked to cuddle up in that leather jacket now and then. "You take care of my family, Tig."

Tig looked around at the members of the club, gesturing to them. "This is my family too, brother. All of them." He held out his hand. "I'll be back and forth, you know that. Business, Irish and the club. I'll bring them whenever I can. I swear," he added, his blue eyes sparkling as he said it. "I'll look after them."

Happy could see the awkwardness between the two of them and motioned for the others to start their goodbyes. Tig grunted as Happy and Bobby hugged him tight, squeezing him and patting him encouragingly. Chibs waited silently as they all spoke amongst themselves until finally it was his turn. Tig gave him a sad, sheepish smile.

"I love her, man. It's why I said I'd go."

Chibs nodded slowly as he walked with Tig out to the front. The cars were ready, waiting, he could barely see the silhouette of Nina's face in the window of one of the Sedans. "Aye, I know." He bit at the end of his thumb. "You don't let that prick Galen touch her. Any of them, Trager," he said, more firmly now. "Nina, you give her anything she wants, you understand me?" Tig started to speak but Chibs shook his head. "Just, just don't tell me. What happens, between you two. I just need her to be... loved. It's what she needs. Please."

Tig nodded slowly, only able to imagine how hard it was to say. "I swear," he murmured, hugging Chibs hard in his arms, crushing him to his chest. "My loyalty, it's to you and to this club, brother."

Chibs slapped Tig's back, his palm hitting the leather hard. "Good. Keep it that way, don't let that shite out there get in your brain." He tapped Tig's temple. "I'm counting on you."

Tig nodded as he backed away, his eyes locked on Chibs. "I'll do it right, Prez, I swear." He waved as he walked away, and Chibs felt his chest tighten as he caught one last glance of Nina with Natasha leaning against her as Tig dipped into the waiting car. Before he could say another word, they were on the move, the vehicles circling around on the lot as they manoeuvred to leave. Chibs let out an almighty sigh as they withdrew, and he whimpered, pained, as he watched his family disappear to Ireland.


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N - Aww, you guys know I'm a big tease. So here's a little snippet of the new story, it's called ****_Children of the Sun_**** and you can find it in the T section (for now...!) It's set about ten years forward, and I think you're going to love it... so I hope I'll see you over there! :)**

**Sara x**

* * *

><p>"No," Emily said furiously. "This is bullshit. Being stuck in here, nothing to do but listen to you two fucking each other like a couple of goddamn teenagers while we just have to what? Rot?" Nina coloured at her language, but Tig was too spaced out to object to it. He was amused by his daughter's fierce little confrontation. "We should be allowed to go out, with our friends, have fun. It's Friday night, we should be allowed to go party."<p>

Tig smiled at that. "Party?" He glanced at Nina with a wry smile. "And what? You want to drink? Smoke? Hook up with boys? Lose your virginity to some shifty idiot around the back of their clubhouse, huh?" He smirked. "Do you even know who you are? What you're worth in this town?"

Emily crossed her arms. "I know if we were still in Charming, we'd be okay."

The back of Tig's neck prickled as she said that word and he sat bolt upright. "Charming? Where have you been getting thoughts about Charming from, hey?" He looked accusingly across at Nina. "You been putting this shit in her head?"

"I haven't said a word!" Nina objected instanatly, flipping him off in annoyance. Even hearing the word made her heart skip a beat. "Emmy, calm down-"

"I'm sick of this," Emily spat. "Being boxed up here, in this house. We're escorted to school, to work, to the goddamn shops for a packet of fags and a bottle of Jack. I'm sick of being locked up like this, I just, I want a normal life. I want to go home." She had never really felt it before, let alone said it, but as soon as the words came out of her mouth, she could see Nina's face softening to the idea. Emily's voice broke just a little as she said it again. "I want to go home."


End file.
